Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether High Speed Two will begin operations in December 2026.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd has been set a target of commencing HS2 Phase One services in 2026.

Taxis: Licensing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing: recommendations for a safer and more robust system, published on gov.uk on 24 September 2018, what the timetable is for implementing the recommendations of that report.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ministers are considering the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing. A Government response will be issued in due course.

Ferries: Channel Islands

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on ferry services from (a) Poole and (b) Portsmouth to the Channel Islands.

Chris Grayling: DfT, Border Delivery Group and Border Force have been working with ports and airports across the United Kingdom to ensure a joint understanding of the possible impacts of EU exit under a range of scenarios. Meetings have been held with both with Poole and Portsmouth to discuss the range of possible impacts. Further work is underway with Portsmouth to understand any possible local traffic implications that could affect ferry services. While work is ongoing, we do not currently expect services from Poole to the Channel Islands to be affected at all, nor any significant adverse effect on those from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands.

Bus Services: Concessions

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of merits of lowering the age of eligibility for the older person’s bus pass to 60 years old nationwide.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Restoring the previous age of eligibility for concessionary bus travel to sixty would re-create the anomaly of some non-disabled people of working-age, some of whom may be on significant wages, being entitled to a free bus pass, which was not the original intention of the national bus concessionary scheme. Re-establishing the link between concessionary bus pass eligibility and the state pension age addresses that issue and will also help the financial sustainability of the scheme. Local authorities have the discretion to offer concessionary travel to those who are yet to reach the qualifying age, such as have been introduced in London and Liverpool.

Parking: Private Sector

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many prosecutions the DVLA has pursued in relation to suspected illegal access to a driver's personal data on the DVLA's computer system by private car park operators.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has no powers to bring prosecutions where personal data from its records may have been obtained unlawfully. Any such cases would be passed to the Information Commissioner, who is empowered to investigate and consider appropriate enforcement action.

Department for Transport: Buildings

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library copies of the sections of the Modernisation of Office Environment project business cases that refer to consultation with trades union health and safety representatives; and if he will make an assessment of the project's compliance with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977.

Jesse Norman: The business case for the modernisation of Great Minster House does not refer to consultation with the trades union health and safety representatives. The Department’s assessment is that the modernisation project complies with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. Officials in the Department have maintained an open dialogue with representatives of departmental trades unions on matters relating to the Modernising our Working Environment (MoWE) programme, and have invited representatives from departmental trades unions to join a number of informal steering groups relating to the programme. At the request of the trades unions Departmental officials have kept them informed of progress through written communications on 6 October 2017 and 12 January 2018. On 30 April 2018 and 6 July 2018 representatives from departmental trades unions were invited to carry out a pre-inspection of Windsor House prior to the move of DfT staff into the building. Officials will provide a further update to the trades unions at key stages in the programme and the unions will be invited to comment.

Liverpool Port

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what preparations he has made for the continued operation of the port of Liverpool in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he has had with port authorities in Liverpool to discuss contingency planning in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: I met Peel Ports on 12 September to discuss various issues. My officials are also in regular contact with Peel Ports. These discussions are intended to ensure that the right preparations are being considered and taken under all EU exit scenarios.

Liverpool Port

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the port of Liverpool and its subsequent effect on (a) national and (b) regional economies.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of employment at the port of Liverpool in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the (a) Dublin-Liverpool crossing and (b) consequences of those effects on the port of Liverpool of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: In general terms, my Department would not expect there to be a major effect on the Port of Liverpool of leaving the EU without a deal, nor therefore, through such impacts, on the regional or national economy.

Railways: Sheffield City Region

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the forthcoming rise in rail fares will deliver tangible benefits to the rail passengers of the Sheffield City Region.

Andrew Jones: The Government recognise that the cost of travelling for rail passengers can seem high – this is why since 2014 we have taken action and capped the regulated rail fares in line with RPI inflation. Train fare revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and delivering the investment and massive upgrade programme currently underway, all of which passengers demand and expect. 98p of every £1 in passenger revenue is reinvested in the network to improve passenger’s services. Tangible benefits to the Sheffield City Region on both the Northern and TPE franchises will become apparent to passengers during 2019 with new trains being introduced, delivering additional services and increased capacity for commuters. Benefits planned by East Midlands trains are, for long-distance journeys, it will reduce journey times between Sheffield and London by up to 20 minutes in the peak. There will be a brand new fleet of bi-mode trains serving Sheffield from 2022, with more seats. The first train will enter passenger service by April 2022.

Railways: Sheffield City region

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve rail (a) capacity and (b) services in Sheffield City Region.

Andrew Jones: During 2019 Northern will introduce new trains to provide increased capacity, modern interiors and wi-fi. New high quality trains will operate Northern Connect inter-regional express services. Routes include Sheffield to Leeds, Nottingham, Lincoln and Hull. The Pacer trains will be withdrawn during 2019. By 2020 all trains in the Northern fleet will be new or refurbished to “as new” standard. Between December 2017 and December 2019, TransPennine Express will introduce hundreds of additional seats on peak weekday trains serving Sheffield facilitated by the introduction of three new train fleets.

Railways: Standards

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of trains that are (a) delayed, (b) cancelled and (c) subject to incomplete journeys.

Andrew Jones: Analysis is undertaken by industry with Network Rail being responsible for rail performance. Franchised operators have benchmarks for delays (Delay Minutes), cancellations and part cancellations (combined as Cancellations) within the Franchise Agreement. Franchised operators provide industry period (4-weekly) results to the Department against the FA benchmarks that set Moving Annual Average targets (13 rolling periods), these are monitored by the Department.

Derby Road Station

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is any (a) statutory and (b) contractual obligation on Abellio Greater Anglia Railways to provide shelter for passengers at Derby Road Station in Ipswich.

Andrew Jones: Greater Anglia is obligated to install at least one shelter per platform at Derby Road station by 31 December 2020. In addition, as the demand for this station by passengers grows, Greater Anglia would have to review whether their current facilities is appropriate for the footfall experienced by the station and make the appropriate changes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Regulation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses the delegated legislation relating to the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal that have approved by Parliament.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 December 2018



On 28 November 2018 the Government published a robust, objective assessment of potential impacts on sectors, nations and regions of the UK. This included both an assessment of tariff and non-tariff barrier costs broken down by sectors in different scenarios, including no deal, and how the economy and specific sectors may adjust to these.We will continue publishing individual Impact Assessments to accompany legislation, where appropriate.

European Commission: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for parliamentary scrutiny of the responsibilities of the European Commission that will be transferred to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in relation to the Accounts and Reports (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018, which were laid before the House on 31 October 2018.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 December 2018



The Accounts and Reports (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 (the “Regulations”) transfer functions and legislation from the EU to the UK to ensure that the UK legislative framework remains coherent. It does not aim to create new policy. The Commission has the power to grant equivalence to third countries for their system of reporting payments to governments regarding the logging and mining activities of undertakings. There is no Parliamentary process built into the Commission’s decision. However there are specific criteria that the Commission must consider when exercising those powers. These Regulations transfer the power to the Secretary of State, to be exercised using the same criteria. The detailed criteria for forming the basis for granting equivalence are set out in paragraph 37 of Schedule 3 to the Regulations.

Construction: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how funding for the construction sector deal will be used; and how the effectiveness of that deal will be measured.

Richard Harrington: The Government is committed to investing £170m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund in the Transforming Construction: Manufacturing Better Buildings programme. This includes funding of £72m for activities undertaken in the Core Innovation Hub, a consortium of the Centre for Digital Built Britain, the Manufacturing Technology Centre and the Building Research Establishment - working across Coventry, Cambridge and Watford. We have also committed £36m funding for the Active Building Centre in Swansea to develop building materials that can generate power from light and heat; and a further £59m for Construction R&D and Research Programmes. Industry will align an estimated £250m of investment for these initiatives, as part of the sector deal. The deal also includes our commitment to carry out the recommendations of the CITB review to support skills development, by creating new apprenticeship standards and increase the number of apprenticeships starts to 25,000 pa by 2020. The Government is committed to publishing annual reports on progress against the commitments made in the Sector Deal.

UK Research and Innovation: Per Capita Costs

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the funding per head of population was by (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) its predecessor bodies in (i) each region of England and (ii) the nations of the UK in each of the last five financial years.

Chris Skidmore: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) was created on 1 April 2018 and so did not exist as a legal entity in previous financial years. Figures have been provided for its predecessor bodies for the most recent financial years available. The table shows expenditure by the nine councils that now make up UKRI, per head of population in each region and nation of the UK. The expenditure figures include research council and Innovate UK grants, and HEFCE/Research England’s Research Capital Investment Fund, Quality-related research (QR) funding and Higher Education Innovation Funding.   £ per person2012/20132013/20142014/20152015/20162016/2017East of England108109110112112London127136144126116Midlands5964756768North East9880756462North West5358596055South East5754635351South West6365856868Yorkshire and the Humber6264677968England7981888177Northern Ireland1215171816Scotland6763746562Wales2127252522

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to attend the Yemen peace talks in Stockholm.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary attended the Yemen peace talks on 13 December, to lend his support to the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and press for progress on an inclusive political settlement and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He met the Swedish Foreign Minister, the UN Special Envoy, and had constructive discussions with the heads of the Government of Yemen and Houthi delegations.

Bangladesh: Elections

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure a free and fair election in Bangladesh.

Mark Field: ​The British Government has been consistent and clear in public and in private that we wish to see a free, fair and pluralistic election in Bangladesh. I have repeatedly encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. Through our High Commission in Dhaka we have also been clear that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue its important work without interference. We have encouraged international observation of the election and the EU has sent an Election Expert Mission. Through Department for International Development funding, the UK is also supporting local observation of the general election. The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding the next election in Bangladesh with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September. I made the case for a free, fair and participatory election in a meeting with the Bangladesh Information Minister,Tarana Halim, on 14 December.

Syria: Kurds

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with his Turkish counterpart on Kurdish militia groups in the north of Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​I have had a number of recent conversations with my Turkish counterparts over the conflict in Syria, as have my ministerial colleagues and the Prime Minister. We have made clear our concerns to Turkey regarding the risks of a military offensive in North East Syria, and stressed that our priority must be defeating Daesh.We encourage the continued implementation of the roadmap agreed in Washington between Turkey and the US on Manbij. A mutually acceptable outcome in northern Syria should allow for the completion of the counter-Daesh campaign while addressing Turkey's security concerns.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance of Departments with their duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide accessible documents for disabled people.

Oliver Dowden: Monitoring of compliance with the Equality Act 2010 is a matter for individual departments. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is working with external stakeholders to review and bring up to date guidance on accessible communications. The guidance will cover language, communications channels and accessible formats for publications, meetings and consultations. The guidance is aimed at supporting government communicators to help all parts of government improve their communications with disabled people. This updated guidance will be available by Spring 2019. The Government Digital Service (GDS) helps departments to ensure their online content and services are accessible. GDS sets standards, provides assurance around these (through spend control and service assessment processes), publishes guidance on how to meet the standard (e.g. service manual), develops tools to do this well and quickly (e.g. Government as a Platform components, toolkits and patterns), and supports the departments in using them, collating and curating lessons learned. New Regulations will enhance this activity through the introduction of a central monitoring system and increased guidance and support for public sector bodies. Cabinet Office introduced The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. These regulations build on existing equalities legislation by making it easier for users to report issues about the accessibility of public sector websites, backed up by proportionate monitoring and enforcement. GDS supports departmental compliance with the regulations and produces guidance and training, including on how to make documents accessible. Within the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the Minister for Disabled People also convenes a cross sector group on accessible communications.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the strategic supplier Interserve was classified with a red risk rating.

Oliver Dowden: Supplier risk ratings are not published by Government.

Government Departments: Scotland

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff from each Government Department are employed in Scotland; and what the office locations are for those  staff.

Oliver Dowden: As at 31 March 2018 there were 43,120 Civil Servants employed in locations in Scotland. A breakdown by Government department is available in Table 12 ‘Civil Service employment; regional distribution by government department’ as part of the annual National Statistics publication ’Civil Service Statistics’, at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics. Further information on the location of Civil Servants is also available through the ONS query tool, nomis, available at this link: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/. Using nomis we have produced a table of Civil Service Headcount by Department at NUTS3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics Level 3 i.e. council areas) for the above staff. A copy of this table has been placed in the Library.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed in the Public Procurement Review Service.

Oliver Dowden: There are 5 civil servants employed in the Public Procurement Review Service. We continue to keep resourcing under review to ensure the service meets customer needs.

Loneliness

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the GovTech innovation fund has made on tackling loneliness and isolation.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 23 November 2018, House of Commons Written Question, 191913

Government Departments: EU Nationals

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number non-UK EU citizens employed by in each Government Department as a (a) civil servant and (b) contractor.

Oliver Dowden: The numbers of non-UK EU citizens employed by as civil servants and contractors is not consistently collated across Government, therefore it is not possible to provide an overall number.

Civil Service: EEA Nationals

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what restrictions there would be on the employment by civil service of EEA in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Oliver Dowden: EU and EEA citizens who are currently employed in the Civil Service, will continue to be able to work and play a full role in the Civil Service, as they do now, following the UK’s exit from the EU. This will also be the case in the unlikely event of a no deal scenario.As with all UK employers, the Civil Service needs to ensure that future recruitment is compliant with immigration laws.

Procurement: Private Sector

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the total value of contracts outsourced by central Government to the private sector.

Oliver Dowden: Central Government spends around £49 billion annually through contracts with the private sector.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many EU nationals live in (a) Streatham and (b) Lambeth.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 70.28 KB)

Crime

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of unreported crimes in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 137.65 KB)

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196902 on Cybercrime, if he will publish the activities that are supported through the National Cyber Security Programme to specifically support (a) Government Departments and (b)other public bodies build cyber security capability.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Programme co-ordinates the effective implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy and manages the £1.9 billion programme of investment. Through this programme we build government cyber security capability by ensuring government networks and services are secure and that we have people in post with the right skills and a strong talent pipeline for the future. Key initiatives include the CyberFirst competition, the cyber security CNI and level 4 Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeships along with initiatives across local public sector and resilience communities.

Knives: Crime

Janet Daby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many offences involving a knife have been committed in (a) London and (b) Lewisham in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 65.64 KB)

Emigration: EEA Nationals and EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of non-UK (a) EU and (b) EEA citizens leaving the UK in each of the last three years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 154.54 KB)

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what human rights risk assessments have been undertaken for each Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme in 2018-19.

Mr David Lidington: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund takes its responsibility to manage human rights risk very seriously and has robust processes in place to do so. All projects must comply with the UK’s domestic and international human rights obligations. Measures to mitigate risks are embedded in the way our programme teams work. Teams are required to identify a range of risks, including human rights, ahead of starting a programme and must continue to monitor those, and any emerging risks, throughout implementation. In addition as part of an additional risk management process all security and justice programmes must have an Overseas Security and Justice Assessment (OSJA) which has been approved at the appropriate level, if necessary by Ministers. The CSSF confirms OSJAs are in place for all security and justice programmes as part of the annual review process. The CSSF does not hold a central record of all OSJAs.

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the timescale for the Government agreeing a living will with Interserve; and whether the Government plans for that living will to cover all public sector contracts the company holds.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office monitors the financial health of all of our strategic suppliers, including Interserve, and has regular discussions with the company’s management. The Government’s priority is to protect the delivery of public services.   As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced on 19 November, Interserve is one of the suppliers who have volunteered to pilot the use of living wills. The companies piloting living wills will provide them in the coming weeks A living will provides all the information required to transfer service provision safely to a new supplier or take it in house. It is the providers of critical services to government who will need to create living wills. A living will complements and enhances the contingency plans that Government has in place for contracts.

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has established a crisis management centre to tackle the risks of Interserve ceasing to trade.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office monitors the financial health of all of our strategic suppliers, including Interserve, and has regular discussions with the company’s management. Interserve is moving forward with a proposed deleveraging plan to improve its balance sheet through an established and controlled process. We are taking the necessary steps, commensurate with the perceived level of risk to ensure that public services will continue to be delivered if a supplier gets into difficulties. For example, through living wills

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings (a) Ministers, (b) the relevant Crown Representative and (c) Cabinet Office officials have had with Interserve in each month in 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The Strategic Partnering Programme in the Cabinet Office Markets and Suppliers team, of which Crown Representatives are one part, meets regularly with all strategic suppliers.

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent meetings the Government has had with (a) Interserve workers and (b) trade union representatives on the future of Interserve.

Oliver Dowden: The Government is a customer of Interserve, not a director or shareholder of the company and Interserve’s relationship with its employees and trade unions is a matter for the company. On request, Cabinet Office Officials may meet with Union representatives or trade bodies to discuss matters relevant to companies or industry sectors.

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with strategic suppliers on their potential ability to take on Interserve contracts in the event that company collapses.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office has not approached suppliers to take over contracts from Interserve. Interserve is moving forward with a deleveraging plan to improve its balance sheet through an established and controlled process.

Interserve

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Interserve has sought financial support from the Government to continue operating.

Oliver Dowden: Government is a customer of Interserve, not a shareholder or lender. Interserve has not sought financial support from the Government.

Government Departments: Billing

James Frith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government departments use Project Bank Accounts when issuing contracts; and how use of those accounts is monitored.

Oliver Dowden: Government contracts make provision for the use of Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) and departments have committed to use PBAs on their construction projects unless there are compelling reasons not to. The greatest use of PBAs is in DfT within Highways England and through Defra in the Environment Agency. It is for individual departments to monitor the PBA as appropriate to their contracts

Government Departments: Billing

James Frith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the results of his May 2018 consultation on whether Government suppliers with a poor payment record should be excluded from Government procurement contracts in future.

Oliver Dowden: On November 29, I announced a new prompt payment initiative to ensure all Government suppliers and subcontractors benefit from being paid on time. For the first time, failure of companies to demonstrate prompt payment to their suppliers could result in them being prevented from winning government contracts.Coming into force on 1 September 2019, this will ensure the government only does business with companies who pay their suppliers on time, many of which are small businesses. The move will promote a healthy and diverse marketplace of companies providing public services.

Carillion

James Frith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to ensure that existing Carillion project sub-contractors are given priority consideration when tenders are being reissued.

Oliver Dowden: It is illegal to favour specific suppliers in public tendering exercises. Subcontractors are appointed by prime contractors, and Government has no involvement with the allocation of sub-contractors for public contracts.The Official Receiver is the official contact for subcontractors who worked on Carillion projects.

Department of Health and Social Care

Palliative Care: Children

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 197449 on Palliative Care: Children and Young People, whether Health Education England is taking steps to develop staff to fulfil the end of life choice commitment for children as set out in its mandate from the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government’s mandates to Health Education England (HEE) since 2014/15 contained an overall goal by 2020 of ensuring all staff delivering end of life care are appropriately trained, especially in the five priorities for care of the dying person and the Ambitions Framework. Working in partnership with stakeholders across the system, HEE has delivered the following:- publication of End of Life Care Core Skills Education and Training Framework;- collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Medical Council and Health and Care Professions Council to influence curricula on end of life care;- over 160 highly interactive e-learning materials for end of life care; and- work with Community Education Partnership Networks to support inclusion of asset based work in local End of Life Care plans - recognising the value of individuals and communities in supporting individuals in end of life care - and published a ‘How to’ guide on asset based approaches.

Obesity

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) tier 3 and (b) tier 4 weight management services have been decommissioned in each (i) region and (ii) Clinical Commissioning Group area in each of the last five calendar years.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Clinical Commissioning Groups commission (a) a multidisciplinary tier 3 and (b) a tier 4 weight management service.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have received (a) a tier 3 and (b) a tier 4 weight management service in each (i) region and (ii) Clinical Commissioning Group area in each of the last five calendar years.

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Clinical Commissioning Groups include weight management services on their list of procedures of limited clinical value.

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on patients of the decommissioning of tier three and tier four weight management services by Clinical Commissioning Groups; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The requested information is not held centrally. No assessment has been made of the effect on patients of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) decommissioning tier 3 and tier 4 weight management services. CCGs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the healthcare needs of their local population.

Obesity

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the number of people with obesity in (a) England and (b) each Clinical Commissioning Group area by (i) age and (ii) gender for each of the last five calendar years.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital has advised that obesity data for children and adults in England by age and gender for each of the last five years is available in the Health Survey for England. This information is attached. Data is not available by clinical commissioning group.



PQ200681 attahced document
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PQ200681 attahced document
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Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the number is of gay and bisexual men who participated in the pilot HPV vaccination programme available in sexual health clinics who were aged (a) under 25, (b) 25 to 35, (c) 35 to 45, (d) 45 to 55 and (e) 55 and over.

Steve Brine: An evaluation of the first year (2016/17) of the pilot has been carried out. The following table shows the number of eligible men who have sex with men (MSM), up to age 45, who participated in the pilot human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme available in sexual health clinics. MSM over the age of 45 years were not eligible for the HPV MSM vaccination pilot. The number of eligible MSM, up to age 45, participating in the HPV vaccination trial Under 25 years26-30 years31-35 years36-40 years41-45 yearsVaccinated with first dose2,3231,9651,7481,3991,145 Source: Human papillomavirus vaccination for Men who have sex with Men, 2016/17 pilot evaluation https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/678987/HPV_msm_year1_evaluation_report.pdf

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the results of the pilot HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men.

Steve Brine: In February 2018, Public Health England published an evaluation of the 2016/17 pilot human papillomavirus vaccination programme for men who have sex with men. The report is available to view at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/678987/HPV_msm_year1_evaluation_report.pdf

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the HPV vaccination is planned to be available in sexual health clinics across England for men who have sex with men; and in how many sexual health clinics that vaccination is planned to be available in.

Steve Brine: The phased roll out of the national human papillomavirus vaccination programme for men who have sex with men began on 1 April 2018. It is anticipated this will be completed in all sexual health and HIV clinics across England by April 2019.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure take-up of the HPV vaccination by men who have sex with men.

Steve Brine: The national human papillomavirus vaccination programme for men who have sex with men began on 1 April 2018 with a phased rollout into all sexual health and human immunodeficiency virus clinics across England. A range of resources about the programme to facilitate vaccination uptake were produced for healthcare professionals and clinic attendees. These included clinical and operational guidance, a training slide set and poster, information leaflet and vaccination record card. These resources are available to view at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-for-men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm-programmeThe service is now part of the public health functions agreement, and NHS England is monitoring the progress of rollout. As of November 2018 data collection, almost 50% of services will be fully rolled out.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how funding is allocated to local authorities to tackle sexual health concerns.

Steve Brine: The Government provides funding to local authorities for their public health responsibilities, including sexual health services, through a public health grant. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for sexual health services taking account of their statutory duties. They are required by regulations to provide services on sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and contraception.

HIV Infection: Lambeth

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in Lambeth had HIV in (a) 1997, (b) 2001, (c) 2005, (d) 2010, (e) 2015 and (f) 2017.

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the change was in the number of people with HIV in Lambeth between 2010 and 2018.

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people there were with HIV in Lambeth in each age category in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2018.

Steve Brine: There were 3,842 people aged 15-59 with diagnosed HIV in Lambeth in 2015 and 3,412 in 2017. Data are not available for 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2010. Data was only presented at local authority level from 2011 onwards. Data on HIV diagnosis in local authorities in England from 2011 is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/sexualhealth Data on the change in the number of people with HIV in Lambeth between 2010 and 2018 is not available in the format requested. Information on the number of people with HIV by age category is also not available in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated from the public purse to mental health services for young people in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The following table shows the expenditure on children and young people’s mental health services from 2013/14 to 2017/18. Information on expenditure for 2012-13 and earlier is not available.  2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Clinical commissioning group spendN/AN/A£516 million£619 million£687 millionSpecialised commissioning spend£252 million£260 million£319 million£342 million£361 millionTotal spendN/AN/A£836 million£961 million£1,048 millionSource: NHS England The 2019 Budget confirmed that the National Health Service will continue to increase mental health investment, by at least £2 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24.

NHS: Vacancies

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS Improvement's Quarter three 2017-18 performance report, published in February 2018, how many of the (a) 35,000 nurse vacancies and (b) nearly 10,000 doctor post vacancies identified in that report have now been filled.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not held in the format requested. NHS Improvement estimate as at 30 September 2018, around 80% of nursing vacancies and 85% of medical vacancies are being filled by a combination of bank and agency staff.

Maternity Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recent report entitled Audit of Bereavement Care Provision in UK Neonatal Units 2018, published by Sands and Bliss, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of bereavement care provision in neonatal units.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is currently undertaking a review of its specialised neonatal services in order to improve quality of care and ensure there is sufficient capacity for the future. It will consider the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), referenced in the ‘Audit of Bereavement Care Provision in UK Neonatal Units 2018’, which sets out a comprehensive framework for bereavement support across five stages of pregnancy and baby loss, including neonatal death. All bereaved parents, following baby loss, should be offered the same high standard of care and support in an appropriate environment. That is why the Government recently announced over £100,000 of funding for Sands, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity, to continue the roll-out of the NBCP for 2018/19. This builds upon £50,000 of start-up funding and is in response to the great strides the project is making. Furthermore, the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services sets out requirements that all staff have bereavement training; that each unit has a bereavement lead; and that parents are given written information about bereavement services where relevant. Additionally, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine Service Standards require that parents whose baby or babies are receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit should have access to a trained counsellor from the time their baby is admitted.

Health Services: Babies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of babies that had not received the mandatory 12-month health check when they were (a) 12 months, (b) 15 months, (c) 18 months and (d) 24 months old in (i) England and (ii) in each local authority or Clinical Commissioning Group area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Health visitor service delivery metrics are published by Public Health England (PHE) on a quarterly and annual basis. This collection is based on a voluntary submission of aggregate data by local authorities. As regulations require that the one year review is completed by the time the child turns 15 months, information on 12 months old and 15 months old is available. There is no national data collection for reviews which are carried out late (such as 18 months or 24 months). The attached tables show the number of children who had not received their one year health check at 12 months and 15 months in England and in each local authority. This is based on data received by PHE covering the period April to June 2018 (Quarter 1 2018/19).



PQ201196
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Young Offender Institutions: Speech and Language Disorders

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, based on the read codes in the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool’s SystmOne, how many young people currently in young offender institutions have (a) evidence of lack of understanding, (b) difficulty understanding verbal language, or (c) difficulty with speech.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Blood: Contamination

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what types of support the NHS Business Services Authority provides to victims and family members of those affected by the contaminated blood scandal; and whether that support includes (a) bookable appointments, (b) face-to-face support and (c) telephone support.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on support available to beneficiaries of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS), administered by NHS Business Services Authority, is available on the EIBSS website at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/england-infected-blood-support-scheme EIBSS does not provide beneficiaries with bookable appointments or face to face support. However, beneficiaries can obtain advice from the EIBSS’ telephone service where information on all support available can be obtained.

Endometriosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held in the format requested. The Hospital Episode Statistics database records a count of 21,777 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of endometriosis in the financial year 2017-18. This figure does not necessarily represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on average waiting times for access to psychological therapies for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in waiting times for access to psychological therapies for people with post-traumatic stress disorder in (a) Birmingham and (b) England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is attached. It is taken from the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset held by NHS Digital. The data shows that waiting times for IAPT services for people with post-traumatic stress disorder are decreasing both nationally and in West Midlands clinical commissioning groups. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a National Health Service programme that offers a range of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved therapies for treating people with depression or anxiety. All historical IAPT publications, including annual data, are available at the following link: http://www.digital.nhs.uk/iaptreports Further information about the IAPT dataset is available at the following link: http://www.digital.nhs.uk/iapt



PQ201564,PQ201573 attached data
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Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that there is no disparity in access to treatments for rare diseases between the UK and economically similar countries in Europe.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medicines in the United Kingdom; ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new, innovative medicines, including medicines for rare diseases. The agreement of an implementation period will ensure that access to medicines continues, and patient safety is maintained, in both the UK and European Union markets. Beyond that, the Political Declaration sets out a plan for a free trade area for goods, underpinned by deep regulatory co-operation, as well as a joint commitment to explore close cooperation with the European Medicines Agency. The Government also continues to prepare for the unlikely outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. The Department has been engaging with all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with pharmacy or prescription-only medicines from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area, on their contingency plans in the event of a no deal EU exit. Whatever the exit scenario, we will continue to ensure that UK patients are able to access the best and most innovative medicines including medicines for rare diseases and that their safety is protected.

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Gareth Snell: o ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what correspondence he has received from (a) local authorities in Staffordshire and (b) the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust on the future of the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust; and if he will place a copy of such correspondence in the Library.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has received one item of relevant correspondence from a local authority in Staffordshire, which is attached. There has been no correspondence from the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust on the future of the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust.



Letter Staffs County Council
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General Practitioners

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of patients waiting at least three weeks to see a GP.

Steve Brine: The Government has committed to ensuring everyone across the country has easier and more convenient access to general practice services, including appointments in the evenings and weekends. The latest National Health Service planning guidance, issued by NHS England in February 2018, brought forward the deadline for clinical commissioning groups to provide extended access to general practice services to 1 October 2018, to ensure additional capacity is in place ahead of winter 2018. This includes ensuring that access is available during peak times of demand, including bank holidays and across the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods. NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice. The number of doctors entering GP speciality training has been increasing year on year, this year HEE recruited the highest number of GP trainees ever - 3,473 GP trainees against a target of 3,250, a 10% increase on last year. Greater skill mix is also key to releasing capacity in general practice, we have committed to investment in the multidisciplinary workforce in general practice. As of June 2018, there wereover 3,300 additional clinical staff, excluding GPs, working in general practice since 2015; consisting of over 500 more nurses and 2,800 more other direct patient care.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the briefing published by the Children's Commissioner entitled Children’s Mental Healthcare in England published November 2018, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children with mental health problems.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have made an additional £1.4 billion available for children’s mental health service transformation and are on track to ensure that an additional 70,000 children and young people access community mental health services annually by 2020/21. We have introduced two waiting time standards for children and young people and are on track to meet both of these standards. The first aims for 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases. The second aims for 50% of patients of all ages experiencing a first episode of psychosis to receive treatment within two weeks of referral. Our Children and Young People’s Green Paper, jointly published with the Department for Education, sets out how we plan to go further. We are piloting a four-week waiting time to improve access to services and are introducing new mental health support teams. Trailblazer sites, where we plan to test our Green Paper proposals, will be announced shortly.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what verification checks are undertaken by his Department on the qualifications of EU citizens practicing medicine in the UK.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not verify qualifications of European Union citizens practising medicine in the United Kingdom. The verification of professional qualifications is a matter for the General Medical Council (GMC) and local employers. The GMC is the independent regulator of doctors in the UK. All doctors must register with the GMC to be able to practise in the UK. Verification of professional qualifications is part of the GMC’s registration process. NHS Employers advises employing organisations to undertake professional registration and qualifications verification checks.

Doctors: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doctors currently working in the NHS have been convicted of (a) manslaughter, (b) clinical medical negligence or (c) culpable homicide.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold information on convictions for doctors working in the National Health Service.

Ovarian Cancer: Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase early diagnosis rates for ovarian cancer and (b) increase access to treatment for ovarian cancer in specialist centres in Staffordshire.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) has run a number of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to help improve early detection of cancer including ovarian cancer. In 2014 PHE ran a pilot regional ovarian cancer campaign in the North West of England. In 2017, PHE ran a pilot campaign in the East and West Midlands which focussed on a range of abdominal symptoms, such as diarrhoea, bloating and discomfort that can be indicative of a number of cancers, including ovarian cancer. NHS England has invested over £200 million between 2017 and 2019, supporting Cancer Alliances to accelerate diagnosis and enhance quality of life. Staffordshire clinical commissioning groups commission diagnostic services for ovarian cancer fully in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines across the whole sustainability and transformation partnership.

Eating Disorders

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2018 to Question 197605, whether the long-term plan for the NHS will address regional variations in access to specialist support for adults with eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Mental health will be a core part of the National Health Service long-term plan, including building on the improvements in providing access to good mental health services. The NHS long-term plan is currently in development and will be published shortly by NHS England.

Smoking: Death

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has set a target for reducing the number of deaths due to smoking-related conditions in the lifetime of this Parliament.

Steve Brine: The Government has not set a target for reducing the number of deaths due to smoking related conditions. Last year we published ‘Towards a smoke-free generation: a Tobacco Control Plan for England’, which committed the Government to achieve a smoke-free generation. Over the course of this Parliament the Government aims to reduce smoking prevalence from:- 15.5% to 12% amongst adults;- 10.7% to 6% amongst pregnant women; and- 8% to 3% amongst 15-year olds who regularly smoke. The Government also aims to reduce the inequality gap in smoking prevalence between those in routine and manual occupations and the general population. Death rates due to smoking have been falling since 2006 and evidence suggests that quitting smoking will improve one’s life expectancy, even if quitting happens later in life.

Department for International Development

Yemen: Famine

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to protect Yemen from famine.

Alistair Burt: The newly published Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Report highlights growing food insecurity in Yemen over the past year, with the overall number of food insecure people rising from 17 million to over 20 million (70% of the population). In response urgent action is needed to improve economic conditions and maintain food supply chains into and throughout the country, including Hodeidah and Saleef ports and routes out of the city. To maintain confidence of commercial importers, the UK recently worked with the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to agree measures with the Central Bank of Yemen to issue letters of credit providing foreign currency so that importers can purchase food on international markets. This has resulted in an appreciation of the Yemeni Riyal, so that ordinary Yemenis are able to buy food that is in the markets. The UK is playing a leading role in combating hunger in Yemen through our £170 million in aid this financial year, which will help meet the food needs of four million Yemenis for one month. We are supporting UN agencies and international NGOs to provide millions of vulnerable Yemenis with cash and vouchers for food, as well as screening and treatment for malnutrition and disease. However, a political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We therefore welcome the positive outcome of peace talks in Stockholm and continue to encourage both sides to engage constructively and in good faith to agree a political solution to end the conflict.

Department for Education

Schools: Females and LGBT People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications to (a) open and (b) take over an (i) academy, (ii) free school and (iii) faith school that were rejected because the applicant was unable to provide satisfactory assurances on the education and protection of (A) girls and (B) LGBT+ pupils.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department considers a range of information when considering applications to open and take over an academy, free school and faith school in England, including information relating to the public sector equality duty. The department does not always specifically request or record information on the impact of the change on the education and protection of girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender+ pupils, unless it is relevant to a particular application. We do not hold sufficient information on applications rejected on these grounds to provide an estimate.

Schools: LGBT People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) schools, (b) teachers and (c) school governors and administrators in (i) London and (ii) Englandthat were subject to a sanction for failure related to the welfare of LGBT children in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested relating to sanctions imposed at a local level for failure relating to the welfare of LGBT children is not held centrally. Where failures are identified, there is a range of sanctions at both a local level and at a national level to deal with them.The welfare of all children, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) children, is of central importance to schools, teachers and school governors and administrators. This Government is delivering an important programme to ensure that LGBT children receive the best possible support in school. The recent anti-bullying week is one example of ensuring a clear focus on these matters.The Teaching Regulation Agency has powers to consider the prohibition of teachers for the most serious failures which are found to be unacceptable professional conduct. The Teaching Regulation Agency has not issued a prohibition order against a teacher in relation to failure related to the welfare of LGBT children.

Physical Education and Sports

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support the least active young people to participate more in PE and school sport.

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support schools and children’s groups to develop appropriate physical activity facilities and equipment for children with disabilities.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government firmly believes in the importance of physical education (PE) and sport to develop all children’s physical competency and teach valuable life skills such as character, resilience, communication and team work that can be carried through into adulthood and improve overall wellbeing and employability. Since 2013, the government has invested over £1 billion through the primary PE and sport premium to improve PE, sport, physical activity and extra-curricular activities for all pupils. We encourage schools to use this funding to support their least active pupils achieve the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, of which 30 minutes should be during the school day. Schools have the freedom to use the funding to determine which activities will improve participation, especially for their least active pupils and a commitment in the childhood obesity plan to promote a national ambition for every primary school to embrace an active mile, such as the Daily Mile. £100 million from the soft drinks industry levy is being used to provide the healthy pupils capital fund to improve pupils’ access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. The Equality Act (2010) requires that all schools must implement accessibility plans which include increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum, and improve the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided. Since 2014 the department has funded a grant to ensure pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have improved opportunities to take part in PE and school sport.

Sign Language: GCSE

Emma Little Pengelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 145568, whether proposals have been brought forward for a GCSE in British Sign Language.

Nick Gibb: The Department and Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator, have recently received an outline proposal for a GCSE in British Sign Language from the awarding organisation Signature. The Department and Ofqual are separately considering the proposal against the requirements for subject content and assessment respectively, which apply to all GCSEs.

Department of Education: Interserve

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the financial health of Interserve plc.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 13 December 2018



The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) undertakes a financial health assessment, using the latest set of financial statements, or equivalent, on all training providers who hold a contract with the ESFA. The assessments are on a rolling programme when new financial statements are produced for these organisations. Organisations are required to submit their financial statements as and when they become available, but no later than nine months after their period end date. Following the assessment process a financial health grade is awarded, in line with our published guidance.

Schools: Closures

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school closures there were in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The attached table shows the number of school closures for all reasons in England in each of the last three calendar years.  In the majority of instances, a closure is a procedural event marking the ending of one legal entity immediately followed by the opening of a successor establishment under a new legal entity, for example where a school ceases to be maintained by its local authority and becomes an academy.The actual number of schools that are recorded as closing without being replaced by a successor establishment are set out in the table below.Number of schools that are recorded as closing without being replaced by a successor establishmentType of establishmentCalendar year201620172018 (to 11 December)Academies266LA maintained schools251816Free schools*81110Independent schools835055* including University Technical Colleges and Studio Schools.

Children: Obesity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will provide funding for extracurricular activities for schools to help tackle childhood obesity.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government firmly believes in the importance of physical education (PE), sport and extra-curricular activities to teach children the importance of physical activity to improve their physical and mental health as well as their overall wellbeing. Since 2013, the government has invested over £1 billion of ring-fenced funding through the primary PE and sport premium to improve PE, sport, physical activity and extra-curricular activities for all pupils in England. We encourage schools to use this funding to support their least active pupils achieve the Chief Medical Officers' guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, of which 30 minutes should be during the school day. Under the Childhood Obesity Plan chapter 2 update the government is promoting a national ambition for every primary school in England to embrace an active mile, such as the Daily Mile, as a fun, inclusive and engaging way for all pupils to develop healthy exercise habits from a young age. Schools have the freedom to use the funding to determine which activities will improve participation, especially for their least active pupils. The government has also allocated £100 million from the Sugar Industry Direct Levy through the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund in England to improve pupil access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. Schools have used this fund to improve their facilities which can be used to provide extra-curricular activities for pupils. Examples how this funding has been spent include, resurfacing playgrounds, refurbishing swimming pools and building changing rooms.

Teachers: Employment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help newly qualified teachers who have been unemployed for two or more years to find work.

Nick Gibb: A new national Teaching Vacancies service is being rolled out nationally and can be found at: https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/.By April 2019, all schools will be able to list their vacancies on the site. This will help newly qualified teachers and established teachers find their next teaching role. The Department is also committed to improving the quality of support for newly qualified teachers. In response to the consultation on strengthening qualified teacher status and improving career progression for teachers, the Department committed to a number of proposals. These proposals include ensuring teachers have the right support in place at the beginning of their careers, have access to high-quality professional development, and have improved progression opportunities throughout their careers. The key decisions set out in the response, published on 4 May 2018, include introducing an extended induction period of two years supported by an early career framework, strengthening the mentoring provision for early career teachers, and developing new specialist qualifications. The consultation response is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-qualified-teacher-status-and-career-progression. The response to the consultation was the first stage in a longer-term programme of work and will form a core part of the Department’s recruitment and retention strategy. The Department will continue to work with the profession and will publish further details in due course.

Foster Care

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Keep on caring: supporting young people from care to independence, published in July 2016, when will the Government plans to review the implementation of the Staying Put programme.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled, Staying Put: An Unfulfilled Promise, published in November 2018 by the Fostering Nework, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of a national minimum allowance for Staying Put programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government keeps the Staying Put policy under constant review, including through monitoring data from local authorities on take-up by young people, engagement with the sector, and reviewing information from Ofsted inspections of local authorities. Staying Put was also considered as part of the independent fostering review undertaken by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers, published in February 2018. Staying Put has helped thousands of care leavers to transition more smoothly from care to independence, and provides continuity of relationships and care arrangements. Latest data shows that in the year ending March 2018, 55% of 18 year olds chose to Stay Put – an increase of 4% on 2017.The government does not believe that introducing a national minimum allowance for Staying Put carers is the right way forward. Unlike children in foster care, young people in Staying Put arrangements are adults and may be in work, or claiming benefits. These can be used to contribute to the cost of providing the Staying Put arrangement, in a similar way that young people who are still living at home with their parents may contribute to the cost of running the household. The current arrangements allow local authorities to consider all factors in relation to each local Staying Put arrangement, and to negotiate the amount that the carer receives on a case-by-case basis.

Schools: Food

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of Ofsted's 2018 thematic review that 26 per cent of primary schools are implementing the requirements of the national curriculum to deliver practical cookery education, when the Government plans to implement a healthy schools rating scheme.

Nadhim Zahawi: We remain committed to delivering the healthy schools rating scheme in a way that makes the most of existing resources available to schools. We have met with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a number of interested suppliers, to discuss the best way to deliver the scheme. We are preparing our scheme based on testing and stakeholder feedback and will continue to work with stakeholders across government, the food sector and charitable organisations. We will share more information shortly.

Special Educational Needs

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans (a) Ofsted and (b) the Care Quality Commission have to automatically require a written statement of action where joint commissioning arrangements for speech, language and communication needs and related needs, including (i) social, (ii) emotional and (iii) mental health, classified as inadequate.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Education Endowment Foundation on ensuring that funding for improving outcomes for pupils with SEND has a focus on children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Nadhim Zahawi: I met with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on the 13 August 2018 to explore whether they could focus on more interventions that improve outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The EEF provided an overview of their plans for a new EEF funding round to improve outcomes for pupils with SEND. They have since announced new funding to test different approaches to improve attainment and other outcomes for children with SEND. The published guidance makes it clear that the EEF are interested in exploring targeted interventions for pupils with particular needs. The funding round is open from 17 October until 14 January 2019. For information, visit the EEF website: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/how-to-apply/#closeSignup.

Schools: Food

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,with reference to the Government document entitled Childhood obesity: a plan for action, published in August 2016, when the Government plans to implement the healthy schools rating scheme set out in that plan.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer my right hon. Friend, the member for Harlow, to the answer I gave on 18 December 2018 to Question 201162.

Aviation: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing an apprenticeship scheme for pilots to tackle the skills shortage in the aviation industry.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing an apprenticeship scheme for pilots.

Anne Milton: ​Our apprenticeship programme is demand-led, and employers are empowered to drive the development of the apprenticeship standards they need to make a sustainable investment in training and grow their businesses.New, high-quality apprenticeship standards are developed by employer-led trailblazer groups with the support of the independent Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA). A standard for ‘first officer pilot’ is currently under development by a trailblazer group led by TUI, with the participation of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and the Royal Air Force. The standard has been approved and published and the IfA is currently reviewing the end-point assessment plan.​We will continue to work with employers and sector bodies to understand how apprenticeships can continue to address skills needs in all sectors of the economy.

Sex and Relationship Education

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government plans to publish the (a) regulations and (b) final draft statutory guidance on relationships education and relationships and sex education.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to supporting schools to teach high quality lessons, and ensuring that relationships education, relationships and sex education, and health education are compulsory parts of the curriculum.The consultation on the draft regulations and guidance closed on 7 November 2018. The views expressed through the consultation are helping to shape the final regulations and guidance.The Department expects to lay the regulations in Spring 2019. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published and a copy of the guidance will be placed in both Houses after the regulations have been laid.

Apprentices: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much the apprenticeship budget is set to be overspent in the academic year (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

Anne Milton: By 2019/20, the funding available for apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion, which is more than double what it was in 2010, including the additional £115 million confirmed in this year’s budget.Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led. Therefore, employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, the level of the apprenticeships and when they offer the apprenticeships. Furthermore, levy payers have two years to spend the funds available to them. For the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, the fully audited accounts are due to be published following the end of the respective financial year.

Apprentices: Management

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons he approved a reduction in funding bands for (a) the team leader manager apprenticeship, (b) the operations manager apprenticeship and (c) the chartered manager degree apprenticeship; and if he will publish the assessment on which his decision was based.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of reducing the funding bands for the (a) team leader manager apprenticeship, (b) operations manager apprenticeship and (c) chartered manager degree apprenticeship on the (i) quality of provision, (ii) number of providers, (iii) number of apprentices and (iv) diversity and social background of those apprentices; and if he will publish those assessments.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department complied with the Public Sector Equality Duty when assessing the effect of a reduction in the funding bands for the (a) team leader manager apprenticeship, (b) the operations manager apprenticeship and (c) chartered manager degree apprenticeship; and if he will publish that assessment.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many representations he received from employers opposing the reductions in funding bands for management apprenticeships; and if he will agree to (a) monitor and (b) report on effects arising from the reduction in those bands.

Anne Milton: The independent Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) is responsible for advising on the funding bands for apprenticeships.In May 2018, it was announced that the department had commissioned the IfA to review the funding bands of 31 existing standards to ensure that apprenticeships continue to provide quality training which represents value for money for employers and for government. The review has not altered the high quality content of standards. Instead, it has taken older standards that were allocated to funding bands prior to the IfA’s creation through the IfA’s funding band allocation process using the new 30-band structure. This provides consistency in the way that apprenticeships are allocated to funding bands. The reductions to degree apprenticeships for the roles of team leader or supervisor, operations and departmental manager and chartered manager were in line with the IfA’s recommendations as part of the funding band review.In addition to considering the IfA’s advice, officials in the department assessed all recommendations from the review to consider the impact on the market, including for providers and apprentices. These assessments form part of internal policy advice.The IfA’s recommendations followed extensive employer engagement. The IfA is responsible for managing employer engagement with the reviews, however we have also received one representation from an employer representative body concerning these standards.The department will continue to work with the IfA to ensure that funding bands are appropriate and will monitor the impact of these changes once they come into effect.

Schools: Food

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2018 to Question 198194 on Schools: Food, (a) what the timetable is for his Department's interaction with stakeholders and schools and (b) from which industries his Department plans to identify stakeholders.

Nadhim Zahawi: We remain committed to delivering the healthy schools rating scheme in a way that makes the most of existing resources available to schools. We have met with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a number of interested suppliers, to discuss the best way to deliver the scheme. We are preparing our scheme based on testing and stakeholder feedback, and will continue to work with stakeholders across government, the food sector and charitable organisations. We will share more information shortly.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who in his Department holds the position of Senior Information Risk Owner; when and how that official was appointed; what criteria were used to assess the professional qualities and expert knowledge of data protection law and practices of the candidates for that post; and who has held that position in each of the last six years.

Edward Argar: The role of Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) is currently held by the Chief Digital and Information Officer since April 2018. The Permanent Secretary makes these appointments based upon the official’s relevant skills and experience. Since 2012 the role of SIRO has been held by the former Director General of Transformation, the former Director General of Law, Rights, and Access to Justice, the former Chief Operating Officer, and now the Chief Digital and Information Officer.

Prison Accommodation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners categorised as suitable for Category C accommodation are housed in Category B training prisons.

Rory Stewart: It is not uncommon for prisoners to serve part of their sentence in an establishment which can hold prisoners of a higher security category than they are. For example a newly-sentenced category C prisoner will initially begin their sentence in a predominant function ‘local’ prison, which serves the courts and is built to a category B standard, before being allocated to a category C ‘training’ prison. The number of category C prisoners held in category B training prisons has fallen considerably in the last 8 years. As at 7 December 2018 there were 914 prisoners held in category B training prisons who were categorised as suitable to be held in category C conditions. There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in allocation and transfer of prisoners. Decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, as well as the operating regime and range of services at the receiving prison. We consider factors such as length of sentence, security category and offending behaviour requirements. Closeness to home is one of the key factors considered when choosing where to place prisoners, particularly for those on short sentences or nearing release, where they need to (re)build family ties, secure housing and health services and look for work. These prisoners are prioritised for places in suitable prisons which are closer to home. Through the Government’s Prison Estate Transformation Programme we are getting the basics right by building decent prisons to improve rehabilitation and create safe and secure environments for staff and offenders. As well as constructing new prisons we are reconfiguring the existing estate so that prisoners will be held in the right place at the right time in their journey and their rehabilitation can be managed more effectively. By matching people in prison to the function that a prison fulfils, prisons will be able to deliver the right outcomes, and people in prison will be better supported to turn their lives around.

Birmingham Prison: Standards

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times HMP Birmingham has been placed in special measures in each year since 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Unlike public sector prisons, privately managed prisons are not placed in special measures but are instead subject to contractual mechanisms when there are performance concerns. In the case of HMP Birmingham, we issued two Improvement Notices in March 2018, and Outstanding Issues Notices for each in June and August 2018 respectively. Despite this time, performance at HMP Birmingham remained unacceptable prompting us to exercise our right under the contract to ‘step-in’ in August 2018. HMP Birmingham was also scored as a Level 1 prison, as published in our annual performance ratings for year 2017/18. We are clear that prisons should be places of safety and reform and are working closely with G4S to improve conditions for prisoners at HMP Birmingham. Details of our action plan to improve Birmingham can be found on the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/urgent-notification-for-hmp-birmingham

Parole

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to give the Parole Board powers to commission independent (a) psychological and (b) other expert reports if the recommendations of the prison and defence submitted reports differ.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State and the prisoner are able to submit expert reports to the Parole Board, who assess the evidence presented before them in order to determine whether the prisoner may safely be released. The Board has the power to direct the reports and evidence it considers necessary to reach that decision and can direct any report-writer to give oral evidence and answer questions from the panel if necessary. In some complex cases, a specialist psychologist or psychiatric panel member may be assigned. The Parole Board does not commission additional, independent reports. In April this year, the Secretary of State announced a review of the Parole Board Rules, which will build on the work we have already done to increase transparency and ensure victims are better supported. The conclusions of this review, including an assessment what evidence should be presented to the Board, will be published in due course.

Young Offender Institutions: Prison Officers

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average number of prison officers in each of the under-18 young offender institutions in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mandatory training is provided to prison officers working in under-18 young offender institutions; and what is distinctive about this training in comparison to that provided to officers working with adult prisoners.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of prison officers working in each of the under-18 young offender institutions that have undergone a DBS enhanced check.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prison officers in each of the under-18 young offender institutions that were dismissed or disciplined in each of the last five years; and for what reasons was each of those dismissed or disciplined.

Edward Argar: HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics (which contains staffing figures in public sector prisons but not in privately managed prisons) are published quarterly. The figures are broken down by establishment and by prison category including male Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) for those aged 15-17. All staff working with children have to undergo an enhanced DBS check as part of the vetting process before taking up such roles. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-september-2018 Attached are tables showing the staff numbers at YOIs and details on the numbers of those dismissed or disciplined. Values of 2 or fewer have not been included to avoid the possibility of identification of individuals and to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998. In relation to conduct and discipline cases this meant a breakdown of the reasons behind the actions could not be provided due to the very low numbers involved. Please also note that since June 2016 HMPPS has taken over the running of Medway Secure Training Centre and 151 FTE staff transferred in. In September 2017, 59 FTE staff transferred in to the newly created Youth Custody Service. All prison officers working in under 18 YOIs currently undergo a young person specific and child-centred Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. This course incorporates both the Working with Young People in Custody (WYPC) course and Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) training elements. The structure of the 10 week course allows learners to understand the ethos, values, morals and ethics that are integral to working with young people. We are introducing a new Youth Justice Specialist role and are providing funding for every Prison Officer in the Youth Custody Service to undertake a distance-learning university-accredited qualification in youth justice so that they can transition them to this role. Supervising Officers will also be funded to undertake this training and transition to the new role on level transfer. All staff undertaking the qualification will be offered the opportunity to continue their study for another year to achieve a full foundation degree, fully-funded by the Youth Custody Service (YCS). There are over 300 frontline staff currently enrolled on this qualification and we will fund 250 places on this qualification per year for staff in the youth secure estate over the next four years. We intend for this to be the new standard training for frontline officers in the YCS by 2023

*No heading*

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to make it easier for litigants to bring civil money claims.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is committed to investing over £1bn to modernise the courts and tribunals system, including improvements to the civil Justice system.The Online Civil Money Service, which went live in March 2018, is designed to offer a digital service allowing people to resolve money disputes up to £10k where a person or business owes money in a simple, accessible and proportionate way.The public can easily and swiftly make their claim and establish clear information about what to do next at each stage. The system is designed to be clear and intuitive and to date, the overall user satisfaction rate is 89%.

Prisons: Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of education courses embarked upon by prisoners are (a) completed in the same prison in which they were started, (b) completed in a different prison and (c) not completed.

Rory Stewart: Data on learner participation and achievement is recorded by prison education providers and held by the Department for Education. The available published data on prison education participation and completion rates covers the academic years 2010/11 to 2017/18 and can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761349/201718_Nov_MAIN_OLASS_Particpation_FINALv1.xlsxOur reforms to prison education are in line with our Education and Employment Strategy. The new Prison Education Framework contracts let on the basis of groups of prisons within which many prisoners can expect to serve their sentence, mean that continuity of provision should improve significantly. Our key reforms to empower prison governors, enabling them to determine their curriculum and how it is organised and delivered within the context of a coherent Lot, will improve significantly the system’s ability to ensure learning that commences is completed.

Prisoners: Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have completed courses in (a) English, (b) maths, (c) ICT, (d) construction and (e) other subjects in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: Data on prison education participation and completion is published by the Department for Education. Data for the academic years 2010/11 to 2017/18 can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761349/201718_Nov_MAIN_OLASS_Particpation_FINALv1.xlsx.Separate data on subjects other than maths and English are not published. Our Education and Employment Strategy published earlier this year sets out our clear intention to ensure that more offenders leave prison with the basic skills that are essential to entering the workplace, and with the skills employers need.

Children: Human Rights

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2018 to Question 199415, if he will publish the UK's contribution to the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty.

Edward Argar: The Government routinely provides human rights reports and contributions to the United Nations which are typically published by them. However, given that the United Nations have not yet published all the contributions they have received towards the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, the Government is placing a copy of its contribution to the Global Study in the Libraries of the Houses of Parliament.

Toads: Conservation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many public prosecutions have been brought for (a) killing, (b) injuring, (c) disturbing the habitat and (d) sale of natterjack toads in each of the last 10 years.

Rory Stewart: It is not possible to identify the number of defendants prosecuted for an offence involving Natterjack Toads from centrally held data. Published information on offences under section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 covers broader offences and other animals. In 2017, there were 2 prosecutions under section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and 12 prosecutions in the last five years (these figures relate to all offences under section 9 and animals which are listed under schedule 5).

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2018 to Question 190557 on Prisons: Private Sector, how many prisoner custody officer certificates are in force.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2018 to Question 190557 on Prisons: Private Sector, how many prisoner custody officer certificates are in force at each contract held by his Department with private-sector providers.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2018 to Question 190557 on Prisons: Private Sector, what the process is for the issue of a certificate in respect of Schedule 10 (2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 or Schedule 2 (2) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Custody Officer Certificates were suspended under (a) Schedule 2 (3) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and (b) Schedule 2 (4) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions he has been required to revoke a Prison Custody Officer’s certificate under Schedule 2 (5) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The Controller authorises the certification of Prison Custody Officers (PCOs), who have completed necessary training, and any revocations of such certificates, on behalf of the Secretary of State. They do not, however, maintain records as it is the responsibility of the Contractor to do so. All staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with Contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. It is therefore the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract. As you know, each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Controller has regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect numbers of staff in post, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition. Any concerns in relation to these performance indicators are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the Controller and escalated within HMPPS where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. This may include a requirement for urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Prisons of 13 November 2018, Official Report, column 171, how many prisoners have been referred to employment or education since 1 April 2018.

Rory Stewart: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Funerals: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on implementing the Children's Funeral Fund.

Edward Argar: The Children’s Funeral Fund is a key element of the Government’s commitment to ensure that all families who lose a child are given the support they need. The Government is working on the detailed policy that will take us to implementation next year. Recent focus has been on identifying the most effective means of delivery and this, in turn, will determine the final timetable.

Fraud

Kevin Hollinrake: What steps his Department is taking to support the Home Office in tackling economic crime.

Lucy Frazer: Our main contribution in helping to tackle economic crime is to run a world class court system that has a strong international reputation and enables highly complex crimes to be prosecuted. As well as that work, we are also active in scrutinising the law to see if anything needs to be changed to tackle economic crime. The Department carried out a Call for Evidence to examine the case for a change in the law in corporate criminal liability for economic crime in 2017 and intends publishing its response in 2019. This is in addition to the creation of a new world class court facility in the City of London specialising in tackling cyber-crime, fraud and economic crime announced earlier this year. This will help reinforce the UK’s reputation as a world-leading legal centre ready to deal with the changing nature of 21st century crime.

Administration of Justice

Mike Amesbury: What assessment he has made of the effect of recent trends in the number of court (a) staff and (b) closures on access to justice.

Lucy Frazer: Providing effective access to justice is at the heart of all decisions the Government makes regarding our justice system. We are committed to making sure that our court and tribunal services can be accessed by those that need to do so. HMCTS staffing levels are appropriate to make sure that effective access to justice is maintained. All court closures are subject to public consultation and the responses received are considered carefully before final decisions are made. Impact Assessments are published alongside the consultations.

Mental Health Act 1983 Independent Review

Ruth Cadbury: What assessment he has made of the implications of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act for the work of (a) his Department and (b) HM Courts & Tribunals Service.

Edward Argar: The Government have welcomed the independent review of the Mental Health Act and have rightly committed to reform mental health legislation. Some of the review’s recommendations, have particular implications for civil justice and particular reforms to the Mental Health Tribunal. The Department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to consider the review, its recommendations and implications in detail and we will respond shortly.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households affected by the Grenfell Tower fire require rehousing; and how many of those households are in (a) emergency, (b) temporary and (c) permanent accommodation.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 December 2018



As of 10 December 2018, the latest data from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) shows that 201 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk require rehousing. Of this number, 21 households are in emergency accommodation (11 households are in hotels, 9 in serviced apartments and 1 with friends and family). 25 households are currently living in temporary accommodation, and 155 households have now moved into a permanent home.My Department has been working closely with RBKC to ensure that households are rehoused permanently and in homes that are right for them, in their chosen location, and personalised and refurbished to a high standard. This includes doing whatever is necessary to ensure households can move in to settled homes as swiftly as possible, but doing so sensitively and on a case by case approach taking into account individual needs.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) Barandon Walk, (b) Testerton Walk, (c) Hurstway Walk, (d) Treadgold House and (e) Bramley House require rehousing as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire; and how many of those households have been rehoused in (i) emergency accommodation, (ii) temporary accommodation and (iii) permanent accommodation.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 December 2018



Council tenants from Barandon Walk, Testerton Walk, Hurstway Walk, Treadgold House and Bramley House who do not feel able to remain in their homes are eligible to be rehoused under the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy. As of 10 December 2018, 2 of these households are in emergency accommodation (1 is in a hotel, 1 is in a serviced apartment) and 58 households are currently living in temporary accommodation, whilst awaiting a permanent home through the Council’s Housing Register. 7 households have moved to new permanent accommodation and 62 households have now returned to their home on the Lancaster West Estate. In order to prevent individual households being made identifiable, I am unable to provide a breakdown of the location of these households based on which part of the Estate they originally lived in.My Department has been working with RBKC to ensure as many residents who feel able to do so can return to their homes, including making improvements to properties on the wider Lancaster West Estate. The Government has allocated £15 million at Autumn Budget 2017 which is being matched by RBKC to invest into the estate to make it a model for social housing and a great place to live. Where residents feel unable to return they have been given priority points on the Housing Register to find permanent homes and in the meantime residents have been offered fully furnished high quality temporary homes that are of comparable quality to permanent housing.

Gazumping

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to tackle gazumping in the housing market.

Kit Malthouse: The Government explored this in our consultation on improving the home buying and selling process during which the most common response to the question on gazumping was for buyers and sellers to commit earlier in the process.   Informed by this consultation, we are now working to increase the use of reservation agreements to support buyers and sellers to commit earlier in the home buying and selling process and reduce the rate of failed transactions, which currently stands at over 25 percent. In particular we are working with industry to develop a standardised reservation agreement and we are going to commission behavioural insight analysis to support their implementation.

Buildings: Insulation

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of buildings that have been constructed or refurbished which has lead to combustible materials being installed since (a) 14 June 2017, (b) 1 January 2018 and (c) 3 October 2018.

Kit Malthouse: MHCLG does not hold information on the dates cladding was installed on buildings.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the £8 billion of new guarantees to support housebuilding announced in Budget 2017 has been spent.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 17 December 2018



There is no expenditure under guarantees unless and until a guaranteed loan goes into default and a claim is made under the guarantee.

Local Government Finance: Lambeth

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the level of funding allocated to Lambeth London Borough Council was in real terms in each year since 2010.

Rishi Sunak: Core Spending Power is a broad measure of local authority funding including income from Revenue Support Grant, Business Rates Retention, Council Tax and other central government grants. However, reflecting the changing finance and function of local government over the period since 2010, the definition of spending power has also changed. Therefore, spending power cannot be compared over this period. The Department does not publish real terms figures, but cash terms spending power figures by local authority are available at the below links:  https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505110052/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htmhttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505110056/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1213/grant.htmhttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505104701/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htmhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2014-to-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/change-in-spending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2015-to-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2019-to-2020

Housing Market

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the strength of the housing market.

Kit Malthouse: Government has set out a long term and comprehensive strategy to make the housing market work for everyone; including to release more land for homes where people want to live; build the homes we need faster; get more people building more of the kind of homes people want; as well as support people who need help nowWe have acted to make our housing market work better, including:planning reforms to ensure more land is available for housing and maximise the potential of our cities and towns to build new homes whilst protecting the Green Belt;launching Homes England, bringing together money, expertise, planning and compulsory purchase powers;lifting Housing Revenue Account borrowing caps so local authorities can deliver a new generation of council housing;Providing more than £15 billion of new financial support over the next five years, taking total financial support to at least £44 billion to 2022/2023, which will boost the delivery of housing and use funds flexibly to unblock the barriers to more housebuilding;publishing a Green Paper which sets out a new deal for social housing in England;measures to rebalance the relationship between tenants and landlords to deliver a fairer, good quality and more affordable private rented sector;and reforms to make sure the leasehold system in England is fair and transparent to the consumer.Taken together, our reforms will help create, fund and drive a fairer housing market that delivers 300,000 homes a year on average by the mid-2020s.

Building Regulations: Fire Prevention

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the 2018 amendment to Approved Document B (Fire safety) volume 2: buildings other than dwellinghouses, how the Government defines the term institution.

Kit Malthouse: The definition of institution is that used in Regulation 2 of the Building Regulations 2010 (SI No 2010/2214).

Unitary Councils

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authority areas have (a) achieved and (b) sought unitary status in each year since 2010.

Rishi Sunak: Whilst to date since 2010 no local authority areas have achieved unitary status, two new unitary councils will be established in Dorset on 1 April 2019, we have announced that subject to Parliamentary approval a new unitary council for Buckinghamshire will be established on 1 April 2020, and we are currently consulting on a proposal made by seven councils in Northamptonshire to establish two new unitary councils covering that county on 1 April 2020. In addition to these areas since 2010 certain councils in Oxfordshire have made a proposal for unitary status for that county which is not being pursued.

Unitary Councils

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the benefits secured by local authority areas that have moved to unitary status.

Rishi Sunak: The Government has made no recent assessment of the benefits secured by local authority areas that have moved to unitary status, but is aware of certain independent reports which have made such assessments. These include a report commissioned by the County Councils Network and authored by Phil Swann in 2016 called “Learning the Lessons from Local Government Reorganisation - An Independent Study“, which found that larger unitary councils are most likely to be able to generate economies of scale, be resilient, and be able to take strategic decisions in an integrated way with the broader public sector.

Association of Composite Door Manufacturers

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers have had with (i) affiliate and (ii) main members of the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers since June 2017.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has no record of meetings between members of the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers and Ministers.

Multiple Occupation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses of multiple occupancy are currently registered with local authorities.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of large houses of multiple occupation that are not registered.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of houses of multiple occupation as at 13 December 2018.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105736, how many additional houses of multiple occupation have been registered under the scope of mandatory licensing.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We estimate from local authority data returns for the period 2016-2017, that there was a stock of 495,208 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in England at that time. This included all HMOs with 3 or more people from 2 or more households.The 2016-2017 returns give the actual number of mandatory licensed HMOs, with 5 or more people, at 1 April 2017 as 43,392. Since these figures were published the Government has extended mandatory licensing of HMOs to properties of any size, given 5 or more people from more than 1 household.Data on properties licensed at 13 December 2018 will not be available until local authority data returns for 2018-2019 are published in 2020. However, we now estimate that the extension will bring an additional 170,000 properties within the scope of mandatory licensing.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the validity of reports of high levels of toxins including hydrogen cyanide being found within a radius of two-thirds of a mile around the site of Grenfell Tower; and whether he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is aware of reports that stem from unpublished research findings. The Government announced on 26 October that additional environmental checks are to be carried out in and around the Grenfell Tower site to reassure the local community that the risk of potential land contamination and health impacts will be fully assessed, and appropriate action taken.The Government has established a Multi Agency Partnership to oversee delivery of the environmental checks and advise on the findings. The Environment Agency has developed a strategy to enable independent specialists to be commissioned by mid-December to carry out the checks. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser has established an independent Science Advisory Group to review the process and ensure it is robust. The Government has made a commitment that residents will be able to influence the design and implementation of the investigation through input to the initial assessment and consultation workshops to inform the scope of the sampling. We expect the initial findings to be available in Spring 2019.Public Health England (PHE) have been monitoring the air around Grenfell Tower since June 2017 with results continually showing that the risk to public health is very low, and that is still the case.There is a risk of exposure to chemicals that are produced during any fire which are present in the smoke, but these chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide, will not be present now. PHE has provided advice on the risks from cyanide exposure which is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-health-advice-following-the-grenfell-tower-fire#health-advice.Any residents who are concerned about their health should contact their GP or NHS 111.

Local Government Services

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local government has the resources it needs to deliver vital services to children and families.

Rishi Sunak: Over the five year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20, councils will have access to more than £200 billion. At the Autumn Budget the Government announced over £1 billion of extra funding for local authorities, this year and next, to help them deliver the services their communities need and support their most vulnerable residents.Funding for local government services, including services for children and families, is set at Spending Review. The Chancellor has announced that the next Spending Review will be in 2019 and decisions about the future funding of services will be taken in the round. We are working with other Government Departments and the sector both to develop a thorough understanding of services costs and pressures and to help local authorities innovate and reform services to achieve better quality and efficiency.

High Rise Flats

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of housing association-owned tower blocks in England which measure 30 meters or taller.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authority-owned tower blocks in England measure 30 meters or more.

Kit Malthouse: The information requested is not available. The Hackitt report (Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, May 2018) estimates that there are between 2,000 to 3,000 high rise residential buildings (10 or more storeys, approximately 30 metres and over) in England. Data on the tenure of these is not available.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Technology

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the security of the technology used for military systems.

Stuart Andrew: Defence uses a number of information assurance and cyber security activities to ensure the technology used for military systems are appropriately protected. However, for the purpose of safeguarding national security, the Ministry of Defence does not comment publicly on the specifics of these activities and arrangements.

Russia: Armed Forces

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made in trends in the number of aggressive tactics by Russian by (a) sea and (b) air in relation to (i) Royal Navy and (ii) Royal Air Force operations in the last two years.

Mark Lancaster: Russia has developed a more assertive military posture towards the West. Many Russian military activities are routine while some are more provocative. Russian interaction with UK aircraft and ships are generally safe and professional.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a strategy to tackle the issue of applicants to the armed forces not being fit enough to pass initial army selection.

Mark Lancaster: The Army is taking proactive measures to better prepare candidates for selection, and potential recruits for Basic Training, without lowering entry standards. This enables more of society to maximise their talents through a career in the Army. This includes: comprehensive advice on the Army website, with the mandatory tests fully explained to allow individuals to begin preparing early, a dedicated Army fitness app (which is available to wider members of the public to utilise) and advice on healthy eating; courses for those who need either additional physical training ahead of starting basic training; more tailored advice and mentoring throughout the recruiting process from support officers regarding body mass composition and the associated health and wellbeing risks; from January 2019, potential recruits who are in all other respects suitable for Army Service will be offered a tailored support package, which for appropriate candidates may include a pre-conditioning course specifically designed to correct weight management issues prior to commencing basic training. And; basic training is also progressive and designed to build up a recruit's fitness, strength and stamina before completing the Army's mandatory assessments ahead of Field Army service.

EU Defence Policy: Finance

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to contribute any funding from the public purse to the EU Cooperative Financial Mechanism before 29 March 2019.

Mark Lancaster: No.

Defence Equipment and Support: Pay

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average salary is for Defence Equipment and Support employees at (a) Senior Professional, (b) Professional I, (c) Professional II, (d) Senior Administrator and (e) Administrator/Specialist level.

Stuart Andrew: The average salary for Defence Equipment and Support employees at the levels requested is given below. This reflects the position as at 30 November 2018. LevelAverage salarySenior Professional£65,429Professional I£52,148Professional II£40,089Senior Administrator£30,647Administrator/Specialist£22,205

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all women born in the 1950s affected by the change in state pension age have now been informed by letter of such changes.

Guy Opperman: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Government sent letters to women affected by the 1995 Act changes between April 2009 and March 2011 using the address details held by HMRC at that time.The timetable for equalising State Pension age for women and men to 65 and the subsequent increase to 66 was accelerated by the Pensions Act 2011 following sharp increases in life expectancy projections. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the maximum delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months compared to the original proposal. Following the Pensions Act 2011 the Government wrote to all those directly affected to inform them of the changes to their State Pension age between January 2012 and November 2013. Background to direct mail outs: Apr 09 – Mar11: All those affected by the 1995 Act changes alone (those born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953) were sent letters informing them of the change to their State Pension age. Letters went to approximately 1.2 million women between 2009 and 2011. Jan 12 – Nov 13: All those affected by the 2011 Act changes (those born between 6 April 1953 and 5 April 1960) were sent letters informing them of the change to their State Pension age. This involved mailing more than 5 million letters with an accompanying leaflet to those affected, between January 2012 and November 2013.Both lots of letters had appropriate supporting information.

Guy Opperman: The Government sent letters to women affected by the 1995 Act changes between April 2009 and March 2011 using the address details held by HMRC at that time.The timetable for equalising State Pension age for women and men to 65 and the subsequent increase to 66 was accelerated by the Pensions Act 2011 following sharp increases in life expectancy projections. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the maximum delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months compared to the original proposal. Following the Pensions Act 2011 the Government wrote to all those directly affected to inform them of the changes to their State Pension age between January 2012 and November 2013. Background to direct mail outs: Apr 09 – Mar11: All those affected by the 1995 Act changes alone (those born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953) were sent letters informing them of the change to their State Pension age. Letters went to approximately 1.2 million women between 2009 and 2011. Jan 12 – Nov 13: All those affected by the 2011 Act changes (those born between 6 April 1953 and 5 April 1960) were sent letters informing them of the change to their State Pension age. This involved mailing more than 5 million letters with an accompanying leaflet to those affected, between January 2012 and November 2013.Both lots of letters had appropriate supporting information.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people applied (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully for short term benefit advance or advance payments in the most recent 12 months for which data are available.

Alok Sharma: Around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in October 2018. Subject to some fluctuation, this has been broadly consistent for every month for which the data has been requested. There were 98,250 Short Term Benefit Advances for Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support awarded to individual national insurance numbers in Great Britain between January and December 2017. On the number of applications, this information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of eligibility criteria for carer’s allowance as a result of the number of carers that have been overpaid.

Sarah Newton: The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance (CA) is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. Around 850,000 carers are being supported through CA at a cost of over £2.8 billion a year (2018/19 forecast expenditure). The rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, with a further increase to £66.15 proposed for April 2019 subject to Parliamentary approval, meaning an additional £635 a year for carers since 2010. We continue to keep the key elements of CA under review to ensure it is meeting the needs of carers. As with all benefits we also continually review detailed operations. This includes reminding carers of the importance of reporting changes of circumstances (including to their earnings) and introducing new technology to help identify and prevent overpayments in the first place. Carers will also be a fundamental part of the Government’s upcoming Social Care Green Paper. A sustainable settlement for social care will not be possible without focussing on how our society supports carers.

Carer's Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of introducing a taper for claimants of carers allowance once the claimant has reached the earnings threshold.

Sarah Newton: This is an issue that we have looked at closely, particularly in the light of recommendations from the Work and Pensions Select Committee in their report on employment support for carers and support for a taper from other stakeholders. Carer’s Allowance (CA) is not a means-tested benefit and its primary purpose is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. The purpose that the weekly earnings limit serves in CA is very different to that of a taper – it is essentially there to provide a test of whether the carer is in “gainful employment” and, therefore, eligible for CA. Tapers are designed to make sure that work pays in means tested benefits, and already work well for those carers also claiming Universal Credit. A cost neutral taper would need to begin at a level lower than the current earnings limit. We are concerned that introducing a cost neutral taper, effectively reducing the amount of CA for some, would introduce a disincentive to work for some of those carers with the lowest incomes, as well as significantly complicating the current CA scheme (for example, we would need to put arrangements in place to manually collect details of weekly earnings and adjust CA awards accordingly). In view of the recent focus on overpayments of CA, it is worth noting that a cost neutral taper would mean more carers would have to report changes of earnings more frequently, thus presenting fresh challenges in terms of making correct payments. For these reasons, we are not in favour of introducing a taper in CA. We will, of course, continue to keep the earnings rules in CA under review to ensure they are meeting their objectives.

Universal Credit

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people that were in receipt legacy payments are financially better off as a result of the move to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not centrally collated and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. We are spending over £3 billion over 10 years on Transitional Protections for 1.1 million households, to ensure that people don’t lose out at the point of transition. Once managed migration has been completed there will be an additional £2.1 billion spend per year on Universal Credit compared to the current legacy system it replaces. Simplification of welfare through Universal Credit will lead to increased take-up of entitlement as only one application is required where previously there may have been several. This will be worth £2.4 billion per year for claimants when Universal Credit is fully rolled out, as set out in the Universal Credit Full Business Case Summary. Universal Credit also provides more help with childcare costs, scraps the 16-hour ‘cliff edge’ and the prohibitive tax rates should someone start work.

Access to Work Programme: Autism

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work Hidden Impairment Specialist Team in (a) advising employers on supporting employees diagnosed with autism, (b) offering autistic people an assessment of their needs at work and (c) helping to develop support plans for those people.

Sarah Newton: Last year, the Access to Work Hidden Impairment Specialist team helped 2,150 people, which includes people with Autism. This number has been continually increasing since the team was introduced in 2014/2015, when 1,160 people were helped. People with hidden impairments are offered an Access to Work holistic workplace assessment to identify the type of help they require in the workplace. Following this assessment, the Access to Work adviser will work with both the employer and customer to develop support plans where appropriate In November, we published Access to Work: Qualitative research with applicants, employers and delivery staff, which found that workplace assessment experiences tended to be very positive. Although we don’t have separate findings for autistic people, employers and applicants felt that assessments were comprehensive and appropriate, and conducted sensitively. Many applicants talked about how the recommendations and advice given during the assessment alone had enlightened them about the support available for their condition and small changes they could make in the workplace which went a long way in improving their workplace experience. Applicants that were previously too nervous to ask their employer for (even ‘light touch’) adjustments felt the expert ‘stamp of approval’ via the assessment helped them to approach their employer and empowered them to ask for changes.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new personal independence payment claimants with multiple sclerosis in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales did not receive an award during their initial personal independence payment assessment and subsequently received an award at (i) mandatory reconsideration and (ii) tribunal in each year since 2013.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales who were in receipt of disability living allowance and have undergone a reassessment for personal independence payments appealed the decision at tribunal and (i) had their decision overturned and (ii) had their mobility award increased from none or standard rate to the higher rate.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales who were previously in receipt of disability living allowance and have undergone a reassessment for personal independence payment applied for mandatory reconsideration of the decision in each year since 2013.

Sarah Newton: The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. Tables 1 and 2 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals for new claims for PIP where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the Assessment Provider (AP) due to failing the assessment, for claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis.  Table 1: New claims decisions, MRs and appeals where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the AP due to failing the assessment, by year of initial decision - for claimants in Scotland with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis Number of decisionsNumber of decisions changed at MRNumber of decisions overturned at appeal201320#102014100#10201515010202016160102020171601030Jan - Sep 201890##Table 2: New claims decisions, MRs and appeals where the initial decision was disallowance post-referral to the AP due to failing the assessment, by year of initial decision - for claimants in Wales with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis Number of decisionsNumber of decisions changed at MRNumber of decisions overturned at appeal2013000201450##201550##201660#10201750#10Jan - Sep 201840##  Tables 3 and 4 below show, for Scotland and Wales, the number of decisions, MRs and appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who have undergone a reassessment to PIP.  Table 3: Reassessment decisions, MRs and appeals by year of initial decision - for claimants in Scotland with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis Number of decisionsNumber of MRs registeredNumber of decisions overturned at appealNumber of decisions maintained at appeal20130000201420#0#201523060201020161,040170502020171,1801807020Jan - Sep 20185308010# Table 4: Reassessment decisions, MRs and appeals by year of initial decision - for claimants in Wales with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis Number of decisionsNumber of MRs registeredNumber of decisions overturned at appealNumber of decisions maintained at appeal201300002014100201002015130402002016920210801020175409040#Jan - Sep 201817020## Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made until September 2018 in Great Britain, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned. We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 52% of people with MS receive the highest possible award, compared with 39% under the previous benefit DLA. May 2013 is chosen for comparison as this is the last month with a full DLA caseload prior to claimants being reassessed from DLA to PIP. Data on the number of people who had the mobility award increased from none or standard rate to the enhanced rate is available from internal analytical datasets, but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.'#' fewer than 5 decisions in this category.The data relates to MRs and appeals recorded up to September 2018 (the latest published data on appeals). Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants.Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Appeals data shown in the tables is taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeals data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.Some decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal).

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people with multiple sclerosis in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales are no longer eligible for the higher rate of mobility support as a result of the transition from disability living allowance in each year since the introduction of personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Information regarding PIP in Northern Ireland is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The table below shows, for Scotland and Wales, the number and proportion of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants with a primary disability of Multiple Sclerosis who received the highest rate of Mobility under DLA but who did not receive the enhanced mobility award after reassessment to PIP. This data includes claimants who were disallowed pre-referral, who withdrew their claim and who were disallowed at assessment. We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 52% of people with MS receive the highest possible award, compared with 39% under the previous benefit DLA. May 2013 is chosen for comparison as this is the last month with a full DLA caseload prior to claimants being reassessed from DLA to PIP. Table 1: PIP mobility awards for reassessment claimants with Multiple Sclerosis who had previously received the highest rate of Mobility award under DLA (by year of DWP decision)  ScotlandWalesPIP Mobility AwardEnhancedNot Enhanced%age not EnhancedEnhancedNot Enhanced%age not Enhanced2014101032%502027%20151107038%703032%201670025026%61027030%201777030028%39010020%2018 (to Oct 18)42014026%1503016%Total2,01077028%1,27044026%Source: PIP ADSNotes:PIP Reassessment outcome shows the outcome of the first DWP decision on each reassessment claim (i.e. they reflect outcomes prior to any reconsideration, appeal action and award review), where that decision was made between 8th April 2013 and 31st October 2018.Figures exclude ‘rising 16s and claimants who did not respond to the invitation. Rising 16s are claimants who reach 16 years of age and so cease to be eligible for Disability Living Allowance but may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment.Figures include reassessment outcomes for individuals who were aged between 16 and 64 on 8th April 2013, and include both PIP Normal Rules and Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claims.Totals have been rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum due to rounding.Percentages are calculated using actual figures rather than rounded figures and have been rounded to the nearest 1%This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data is based on main disabling condition as recorded on the DLA computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Universal Credit

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants subject to recovery of recoverable hardship payments have them recovered at a rate of 40 per cent.

Alok Sharma: For eligible Universal Credit Full Service claims paid in September 2018, 5,300, which is less than 1%, had repayments taken for a Recoverable Hardship Payment (rounded to the nearest 100). Of these, only 12% have an RHP repayment at 40% of the Standard Allowance whereas, the majority (68%) have a recovery rate of 30% or less. The claim count figure in this answer will not match the official statistics due to methodological differences.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints of maladministration from women born in the 1950s relating to the change in their state pension age have been submitted to her Department’s Independent Case Examiner in each of the last five years.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints of maladministration from women born in the 1950s relating to the change in their state pension age submitted to her Department’s Independent Case Examiner have been (a) resolved, (b) rejected, (c) closed for other reasons.

Guy Opperman: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 17 December 2018.The correct answer should have been:

Individual government departments have long established complaints procedures. That approach has not changed under Labour governments 1997-2010 or successive governments. The DWP has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service. Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. The Independent Case Examiner is independent.The table below provides information on the method by which complaints submitted to the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office, concerning changes to women’s State Pension age, were closed. Reason for complaint closureNumber  (a) Resolved (we have interpreted this as meaning closed following issue of an ICE investigation report)192(b) Rejected (the complaint failed to meet the ICE acceptance criteria)1,598(c) Paused for other reasons (includes withdrawn complaints and those closed following a High Court decision to grant permission for a Judicial Review of the Departments handling of the change to women’s State Pension age – it is not within the ICE remit to consider issues which are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings.)2,506 The Independent Case Examiner’s Office received the first complaints from women relating to changes in their state pension age in October 2016. The table below provides details of the numbers received in each of the past three reporting years.Year (April to March)Number received2016/20172432017/201829812018/2019 (to 13 December 2018)1072

Guy Opperman: Individual government departments have long established complaints procedures. That approach has not changed under Labour governments 1997-2010 or successive governments. The DWP has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service. Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. The Independent Case Examiner is independent.The table below provides information on the method by which complaints submitted to the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office, concerning changes to women’s State Pension age, were closed. Reason for complaint closureNumber  (a) Resolved (we have interpreted this as meaning closed following issue of an ICE investigation report)192(b) Rejected (the complaint failed to meet the ICE acceptance criteria)1,598(c) Paused for other reasons (includes withdrawn complaints and those closed following a High Court decision to grant permission for a Judicial Review of the Departments handling of the change to women’s State Pension age – it is not within the ICE remit to consider issues which are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings.)2,506 The Independent Case Examiner’s Office received the first complaints from women relating to changes in their state pension age in October 2016. The table below provides details of the numbers received in each of the past three reporting years.Year (April to March)Number received2016/20172432017/201829812018/2019 (to 13 December 2018)1072

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seafood: Scotland

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has had made of the effect on the Scottish seafood industry in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The government has published guidance for the whole UK seafood sector on what steps should be taken to prepare for no deal. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commercial-fishing-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/commercial-fishing-if-theres-no-brexit-dealAs set out in the Fisheries White Paper, the Government is committed to seeking a deep and special partnership with the EU, encompassing the best possible deal for the seafood sector. This includes the shellfish, processing and aquaculture sectors, while ensuring that consumers continue to have a wide choice of high-quality food products at affordable prices.

Animal Welfare: Regulation

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the effectiveness of animal welfare regulations requiring (a) host families who care for animals on behalf of another and (b) businesses that run animal care services to acquire a licence for each animal they care for.

David Rutley: The controls on animal boarding were recently modernised. The new Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 October 2018. These require those in the business of boarding animals in catteries or dog kennels to be licensed, including those that run dog day care and dog home boarding businesses. The controls only apply to those running a business and not the non-commercial care of someone else’s animal (for example dog sitting). Licences are not issued for each animal but on the basis of the business as a whole. The controls are supported by statutory guidance for local authorities in particular to help determine the business test. The controls were the subject of wide consultation and collective agreement of Ministers, and Defra officials are in contact with MHCLG colleagues on issues of shared interest.

Animals: Exports

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of safety of certifying non-qualified personnel to sign-off health certificates for animal exports which are currently drafted by veterinary surgeons.

David Rutley: There are no plans to certify non-qualified personnel to sign-off export health certificates. The quality of assurance of our exports is a high priority for the government and important for our trading partners. The use of Certification Support Officers will have no impact on this. As now Export Health Certificates will continue to be signed by an Official Veterinarian (OV) when that is required by the importing country. Certification Support Officers (CSOs) will be trained and authorised by the Animal and Plant Health Agency so they will have a suitable qualification. They must work under the direction of an OV and may carry out preparatory and administrative tasks, such as checking documents, identifying products or sealing containers. Ultimately, the official vet must be satisfied that the required conditions have been met before signing the certificate. CSOs are not authorised to assist with the certification of live animals.

Tigers: Conservation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect tigers by (a) helping to curtail the illegal international trade in tiger body parts and (b) promoting UK conservation expertise to countries with remaining tiger populations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK is investing £36 million between 2014 and 2021 to counter the illegal wildlife trade, including work to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement and ensure effective legal frameworks and develop sustainable livelihoods.The UK has funded work to help CITES review implementation of its Resolution on the conservation of and trade in tigers and other Appendix-I Asian big cats. The UK’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund is supporting several projects featuring tigers, including work in Sumatra tackling illegal wildlife trade across two globally important tiger landscapes and in South East Asia strengthening enforcement.Institutions such as the Natural History Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens Research Councils and many British universities are actively engaged in promoting UK conservation expertise globally. This is supported by UK government programmes promoting protection of biodiversity, including the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and Darwin Initiative.

Tigers: Smuggling

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the commercial (a) internal trade and (b) import and export of tigers that have been bred in captivity after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK has stricter measures in place for tigers than those required by the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations and by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Applications for import or export of live captive bred tigers are considered on a case by case basis and need to include full details of the destination and intended use of the animal. The sale of live captive bred tigers in the UK is only permitted where the specimens are to be used for conservation purposes.These strict measures will continue when the UK leaves the EU.

Toads: Conservation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in biodiversity and habitat degradation in the habitat of the natterjack toad in the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government reports on the implementation of the EU Habitats Directive, including the conservation status of a number of key habitats and European Protected Species, of which natterjack toad is one. The latest report was published in 2013 and assessed a number of important factors including range, population trends, habitat and pressures on the species. In summary, this highlighted that natterjack toad distribution in England is well understood and that long term trends show that sites where they can be found, in England, have improved in habitat quantity and quality due to conservation interventions, particularly management funded by Wildlife Enhancement Schemes and Stewardship Schemes. The full report can be found at the following link: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/Article17Consult_20131010/S1202_ENGLAND.pdf

Home Office

British Nationality: Applications

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle the issue of citizenship applications taking longer to process than the service standard of six months.

Caroline Nokes: The most recent published data on citizenship applications (November 2018) shows that 99.6% of applications were determined within the service standard of six months. Naturalisation is not an automatic process and the Home Office has to conduct a number of checks before it can reach a decision on whether to grant citizenship.The extent and length of time taken to complete the checks on the more complex cases varies according to the particular circumstance of each case. The progress of these checks is closely monitored and decisions are made when the checks are completed.

Fraud: Internet

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many online frauds have (a) been reported to the police and (b) resulted in a police investigation in each of the last five years; and how many of those cases so reported have resulted (i) in a suspect being charged and (ii) in a conviction being made in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects quarterly data on the number of reports of fraud made to Action Fraud and that have been recorded as criminal offences by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).The most recently available data for the year ending June 2018 have been published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found in Table A5 here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesThe Home Office collects information on the number of fraud offences that the NFIB refer to police forces for investigation and on the outcomes of such offences. Data is published on an annual basis but only available for the last two years. These data are published in Table 5.1 and Table 5.2 respectively here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729127/crime-outcomes-hosb1018.pdfThe Home Office does not hold information on the number of convictions for fraud offences as this is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Misrepresentation: Internet

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to introduce guidance to online dating site providers on how to detect false profiles; and in what circumstances such providers must report such matters to the police.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government intends to publish a White Paper in Winter 2018/19, which will set out our plans to tackle online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe.We are considering the full range of possible solutions to address the issues raised by the internet. This includes options around a regulatory framework, as well as broader non-legislative initiatives.

Fraud and Sexual Offences: Internet

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports to the police have been made of (a) sexual assaults and (b) fraud arising from contact made by individuals from online dating sites; and in how many cases those reports resulted in a prosecution in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects data from police forces on the number of offences that have been committed in full or in part using online means.The latest available data on online offences has been published by the Office for National Statistics in Table E4 here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesexperimentaltables.Information on the number of sexual offences reported to the police linked to online dating sites is not held centrally.

Asylum: Voluntary Work

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department provides to asylum seekers that seek to volunteer in their local communities.

Caroline Nokes: Whilst the Home Office does not provide specific support, we do encourage asylum seekers to undertake volunteering activities, which can provide a valuable contribution to their local community and may help them to integrate into society if they qualify for protection.

Immigration: Applications

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for (a) citizenship, (b) visas and (c) asylum have been refused on the basis of notoriety in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: The latest information on citizenship decisions can be found in the UK Visas and Immigration Transparency Data:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tables#citizenshipTable cZ_09 Shows reasons for refusal. However, this only gives broad reasons for refusal. A case refused on the basis of notoriety would be within the ‘not of good character’ statistic along with many other aspects of good character.No comparable data is available for visa or asylum applications.

Ivory: Seized Articles

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the seizure of illegal ivory by the UK Border Force since 2015.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force Transparency Data figures (2015-2017) shows that the number of seizures made have stayed relatively stable since 2015.Border Force continues to work closely and dynamically with the police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit to control illegal imports and exports of ivory and respond to emerging threats. It is also working innovatively with the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA) to facilitate the surrender of ivory to Border Force for destruction where its provenance cannot be established

Radicalism and Terrorism: Crime Prevention

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding from the public purse his Department allocated to the (a) Prevent duty strategy and (b) Channel programme in each year since their introduction.

Mr Ben Wallace: This Government is committed to the Prevent programme. The Prevent Duty was introduced in 2015, alongside a duty for local authorities to operate Channel panels. We do not breakdown funding into specific projects. However, Prevent’s budget for the last three years was:2015/16 - £42.8m2016/17 - £37.7m2017/18 - £45.5mPrevent is working and is successful. Prevent has made a significant impact in safeguarding people being drawn into terrorism.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Immigration Rules Appendix EU paragraph 15(a) and (b), in cases where there is an existing deportation or exclusion order at the date of application, whether caseworkers will make a case-by-case assessment of current threat in accordance with Article 27 of Directive 2004/38/EC prior to a refusal or granting of settled status.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Immigration Rules Appendix EU paragraph 15(a) and (b), where evidence arises that could lead to the issue of a deportation or exclusion order, if the assessing caseworker will make a case-by-case assessment of current threat in accordance with Article 27 of Directive 2004/38/EC prior to refusal or granting of settled status.

Caroline Nokes: In line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union, criminality and security checks will be carried out on applications for status under the EU Settlement Scheme.Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and any conduct (including any criminal convictions relating to it) be-fore the end of the planned implementation period on 31 December 2020 will be assessed according to the current EU law public policy and security tests for deportation or exclusion. These are set out in the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, in accordance with Article 27 of the Free Movement Directive.Consistent with the draft Withdrawal Agreement, an applicant will be refused status under the scheme on the grounds of suitability where, at the date of decision, the applicant is subject to a deportation order or a decision to make a deportation order, or to an exclusion order.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Immigration Rules Appendix EU paragraph 15(c), and pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 192820, what evidence of exercise of Treaty rights his Department requires for eligibility under the settled status scheme.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Immigration Rules Appendix EU paragraph 15(c) and pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 192820, in what circumstances an applicant will be refused status on grounds of non-exercise of Treaty rights.

Caroline Nokes: The EU Settlement Scheme for which Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules provides reflects the breadth of provision made by the Free Movement Directive for rights of residence. These include rights of permanent residence with less than five years’ continuous residence in particular circumstances, and retained rights of residence where particular criteria are met. In line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union, these are reflected in the requirements for eligibility for status under the scheme contained in Appendix EU.The draft Withdrawal Agreement does not protect those who are not exercising or are misusing free movement rights. Consistent with this, an applicant will be refused status under the scheme where they are subject, at the date of decision on the application, to a removal decision under the Immigration (Eu-ropean Economic Area) Regulations 2016 on the grounds of non-exercise or misuse of those rights.

Asylum: Detainees

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average period of immigration detention was for detained asylum seekers in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The UK has a proud history of providing refuge to those who need our protection. Almost all asylum claims are processed in the community. Individuals will have their claim processed in detention only if they have claimed asylum after having been detained for removal, or if they present public protection concerns.The department currently does not record the information on the criteria as set; how long the average period of immigration detention was for detained asylum seekers in 2018.Information on people entering detention by age, sex and place of initial detention (as at year ending September 2018) is available in table dt_01_q of the detention tables, which can be found in the latest release of ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Home Office website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tables#detentionThe table shows the figures broken down by those people who have claimed asylum at some point in the past.

Asylum: Children

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average period of immigration detention was for minors seeking asylum in 2018.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average period of immigration detention was for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Almost all asylum claims are processed in the community. Individuals will have their claim processed in detention only if they have claimed asylum after having been detained for removal, or if they present public protection concerns. Accompanied or unaccompanied asylum seeking children are not detained in these circumstances.Information on people entering detention by age, sex and place of initial detention (as at year ending September 2018) is available in table dt_01_q of the detention tables, which can be found in the latest release of ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Home Office website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tables#detentionThe table shows the figures broken down by those people who have claimed asylum at some point in the past.

Asylum: Families

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for family reunification with a beneficiary of international protection were received (a) in total and (b) from each nationality in 2018.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many decisions were made on applications for family reunification with a beneficiary of international protection in 2018; and how many of those decisions were to (a) accept and (b) reject the application.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not record information specifically on “family reunification with a beneficiary of international protection”.Information relating to refugee family reunion applications received in total, from each nationality and how many were accepted in 2018 is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tablesAll those issued a family reunion visa are granted leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, not asylum. The family reunion application process does not require an assessment of the applicant’s international protection needs. It is the family member in the UK that is required to have been granted refugee status or Humanitarian Protection.

Migrant Workers: Databases

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2018 to Question 200710 on Migrant Workers: Databases, what steps the Government has taken to promote the use of his Department's employer checking service to employers.

Caroline Nokes: Home Office officials regularly meet employers, partners within the sector and other government departments who work with employers to promote our on-line guidance and codes of practice. The published guidance contains advice on the circumstances in which employers should contact the employer checking service, for example when there is an outstanding application.The guidance can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Boston Consulting Group

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled DExEU spend over £25,000, October 2018, for what services his Department paid the Boston Consulting Group £720,000 on 2 October.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government is utilising the skills of the brightest and best across the Civil Service as we prepare to exit the EU. The Boston Consulting Group is providing strategic analytical support, working with DExEU and other Government departments to accelerate progress on cross-cutting complex policy and delivery issues. It is quite standard for a Government department to draw on the advice of external specialists. We will continue to bring in expertise from outside as appropriate. This contract was awarded using a standard route to market widely used across the Civil Service.

Treasury

Taxation: USA

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Department of the Treasury on creation of accidental Americans through the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

Mel Stride: The government has engaged with the US Treasury and the IRS on a number of occasions regarding the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The government recognises that FATCA is a particular concern for those who were unaware of the obligations associated with their US citizenship. However, to clarify, FATCA does not create new accidental Americans. Rather, FATCA created a mechanism for the financial accounts of overseas US citizens to be reported to the US.

Alcoholic Drinks

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings Ministers of his department have had with representatives of (a) the alcohol industry and (b) organisations working to reduce alcohol-related harm in 2018; and if he will publish the (i) dates, (ii) attendees and (iii) topics of each of those meetings.

Robert Jenrick: Details of all ministerial meetings are routinely published on the Gov.UK website, details can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders to discuss alcohol duty and related issues, including the health impacts of alcohol.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether all preparations for the introduction of the Making Tax Digital scheme in April 2019 are complete.

Mel Stride: Preparations for the introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT in April 2019 are progressing well. MTD will make it easier for businesses to get their tax right, reducing the tax gap caused by avoidable errors and saving businesses time which can be devoted to maximising business opportunities, and helping foster good financial planning. In October, HMRC opened the pilot to over 500,000 customers who will be required to join the service from April, and they are on track to open up the service to the remainder of mandated customers early in the New Year. There has also been excellent progress with the software that businesses will use to keep their records and send HMRC their VAT information. A variety of products at different price points are available (including some that are free), and some can be used with a spreadsheet for those who prefer not to make the move to a fuller software product. Businesses will need to join the new service in time to send HMRC their VAT return information before their first deadline for a return period which starts after 1 April. For the majority who file quarterly that will be by 7 August 2019 at the earliest. HMRC is continuing to send letters to all businesses in scope, raising their awareness and inviting them to join early so that they can test the service before mandation.

British Business Bank: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase funding for the British Business Bank to make up the difference between the £200 million it was allocated in Budget 2018 and the £1.89 billion that the European Investment Bank allocated to UK projects in 2017.

Robert Jenrick: Businesses and infrastructure projects raise finance from the private market, with important UK government support. The European Investment Bank Group provides finance alongside other market participants. In 2017, the European Investment Bank, which predominantly invests in infrastructure projects, invested EUR 1.84bn in the UK. Its SME risk-finance focused subsidiary, the European Investment Fund, invested EUR 61.05m in UK operations in 2017. As we leave the EU, we continue to actively explore options for a future relationship with the European Investment Bank Group. However, as the Chancellor has been clear, if we do not maintain our relationship with the EIB group, we will be prepared. The government has a range of existing tools in place to support infrastructure and SME finance. This includes, the £40 billion UK Guarantees Scheme and the British Business Bank. British Business Bank programmes are supporting more than £5.5bn of finance to over 78,000 smaller businesses. The British Business Bank has capacity to make commitments this year exceeding the combined average annual commitments from the European Investment Fund and British Business Bank in the three years preceding the referendum. The government announced at the Budget that we will review our support for infrastructure finance, to ensure good projects continue to be able to access the finance they need. If no future relationship with the EIB Group is in place when the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019, the government will provide the British Business Bank with new resources to enable it to make up to £200m additional investment in venture capital and growth finance in 2019/20.

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 191916 on Research: Finance, how the Government plans to guarantee that funding after the end of the implementation period.

Elizabeth Truss: In the event the UK leaves the EU without an overall withdrawal agreement, HMG will guarantee the payment of awards for UK organisations which successfully bid directly to EU programmes (including research and innovation programmes such as Horizon 2020), until the end of 2020, for the whole lifetime of projects agreed. This includes where a project continues beyond the end of 2020. As the Political Declaration states, the UK wishes to explore the option of association to EU research and innovation programmes post-2020, including Horizon Europe, Euratom R&T, JET, ITER and Copernicus. The UK’s future participation in EU research and innovation programmes is subject to negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship. The Government will take a longer term look at spending through the Spending Review in 2019 to ensure it is in line with policy objectives. This includes replacements for EU programmes.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadcasting: EU Countries

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps have been taken to ensure that international broadcasters in the UK will continue to be able to broadcast to the EU under an Ofcom licence.

Margot James: The government is committed to sign and ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, which will allow for the Implementation Period until December 2020. During the Implementation Period, UK-based broadcasters will be free to broadcast to the EU with their Ofcom licence, and the government will be given an opportunity to negotiate the details of the future relationship between the EU and the UK. Broadcasting is not excluded or carved out of the political declaration, which is typically the case for trade agreements. Furthermore, the UK is a signatory to the Convention on Transfrontier Television which means that films and TV programmes made or produced in the UK will continue to have the status of European Works, which is of significant importance for industry. Ultimately, the future relationship with the EU on broadcasting, including on licensing arrangements, will depend on the exit negotiations. The UK is committed to seek the best possible arrangement for broadcasting that will work for UK businesses and audiences, and we will work closely with the sector to update them on any new developments. At the same time, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities, including a no deal scenario.

Nuisance Calls: Pensioners

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government has taken to reduce the use of cold calling to obtain contractual agreements with pensioners.

Margot James: Pension scams can have significant and devastating impacts on people’s lives. Scams can leave people to face retirement with a greatly reduced income, unable to build their pension savings back up. As well as being a nuisance, cold calling is the most common method used to initiate pension fraud. This is why the Government has taken a number of measures to tackle nuisance calls in general and ban pensions cold calling in particular. On Monday 17 December new powers enabling company directors to be held personally liable for the nuisance calls their company makes came into force. The Government ran a technical consultation over the summer on regulations to ban pensions cold calling and published the consultation response as a supplementary document to Budget 2018. The regulations to ban pensions cold calling were laid in Parliament on 1 November and will come into force early in the new year. However, the Government is aware that more needs to be done to truly eradicate this problem, and continues to work with regulators and industry to put a stop to these calls.

Charities: Complementary Medicine

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many charities who promote the use of complementary and alternative medicine have been investigated by the Charity Commission in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Mims Davies: The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes annual transparency data, which includes analyses of its statutory inquiry, compliance and monitoring casework according to the information on the register of charities and submitted by charities in their annual returns. This includes a breakdown of casework statistics by classification, beneficiary group, income, and the charities’ age (years since registration) and can be seen here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/analysis-of-charities-subject-to-an-inquiry-or-compliance-case#inquiry-case-statistics:-2017-18. The Charity Commission does not provide case statistics specifically on charities who promote the use of complementary and alternative medicine. The breakdown includes charities classified as being for ‘advancement of health / saving lives’, but the Commission does not disaggregate this classification any further, and some charities may use or promote CAM therapies as one part of a much wider range of activities. The Charity Commission has updated its approach to assessing the charitable status of organisations that promote complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. That approach is reflected in revised internal guidance and a report setting out the outcome of its review, was published last week, and can be seen here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/updated-approach-to-assessing-applications-from-organisations-promoting-complementary-and-alternative-therapies .

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Charitable Donations

Clive Lewis: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2018 to Question 149683, what estimate has been provided by the Royal British Legion of the amount of money raised from the change collection boxes at cash tills in catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate since November 2018.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 18 December 2018



We do not currently have an estimate from the Royal British Legion of the amount of money raised from the change collection boxes in catering outlets since November 2018. We expect to have this information by February 2019.

Northern Ireland Office

Mental Health Services: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the absence of a devolved Administration in Northern Ireland, if she will hold discussions with mental health groups on the urgent introduction of a mental health strategy for Northern Ireland.

Karen Bradley: The introduction of a mental health strategy in Northern Ireland, as a devolved matter, is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Department of Health. The Department is developing a five year plan for mental health with the focus on improving the general mental health of people in Northern Ireland. Whilst publication of any plan will be subject to future Ministerial approval, the plan will be fully co-produced with extensive engagement with the sector throughout each stage of the process. This will ensure that any future incoming Minister has an informed plan available for consideration on how mental health services should be developed going forward, in line with current strategic frameworks and policies.

Attorney General

Sentencing: Appeals

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions he has received requests to refer an individual sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue leniency in each of the last five years; and on how many of those occasions was the request granted.

Robert Buckland: The following table contains the number of requests to refer an individual sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue leniency between 2014 and 2018: Year20142015201620172018 to dateRequests to review sentences6767138379431015*Referrals CA122136190173138**Sentences increased10610214113779 * 57 cases still under consideration** 27 referrals to CA still to be heard

Attorney General: Recruitment

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Attorney General, what recruitment process his Department followed when appointing its Data Protection Officer (DPO); how that position was advertised; how many candidates applied for that post; what criteria were used to assess the candidates' (i) professional qualities and expert knowledge of data protection law and practices and (ii) their ability to fulfil the tasks referred to in Article 39 of the General Data Protection Regulation; who was appointed as DPO for his Department; when and where his Department has published its DPO's contact details; and what lines of reporting exist within his Department in respect of its DPO.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office shares its Data Protection Officer with the Government Legal Department (GLD) and HM Crime Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). In line with Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Guidance, the role of DPO can be taken by existing Civil Servants. In this instance the DPO function was added to that of the existing roles of Departmental Records Officer and FOI/DPA co-ordinator in the GLD.

Attorney General: Complaints

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Attorney General, what complaints procedure is open to members of the public if they wish to complain that (a) his Department’s Data Protection Officer and (b) any staff of his Department is in breach of the Civil Service Code; how many complaints have been made against staff of his Department for breaches of the Civil Service Code in each of the last two years; when, how and by whom those staff have been investigated; and what outcomes of those investigations have been recorded.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office publishes its complaints procedure, which is open to members of the public online here. There have been no recorded complaints against AGO staff for breaching the Civil Service Code in the last 2 years.

Attorney General: Data Protection

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Attorney General, who in his Department holds the position of Senior Information Risk Owner; when and how that official was appointed; what criteria were used to assess the professional qualities and expert knowledge of data protection law and practices of the candidates for that post; and who has held that position in each of the last six years.

Robert Buckland: The position of Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), in the Attorney General’s Office, is part of the Head of Operations Role. The official was appointed following fair and open completion in 2014 following the guidelines for Senior Civil Service Recruitment. The Head of Operations has held the role of SIRO for the last 6 years.